Human beings respond to their immediate environments in a variety of ways, with emotion playing a cardinal role. In evolutionary theories, emotions are thought to prepare an organism for action. The interplay of acoustic environments, emotions, and evolutionary needs are currently subject to discussion in soundscape research. Universal definitions of emotion and its nature are currently missing, but there seems to be a fundamental consensus that emotions are internal, evanescent, mostly conscious, relational, manifest in different forms, and serve a purpose. Research in this area is expanding, particularly in regards to the context-related, affective, and emotional processing of environmental stimuli. A number of studies present ways to determine the nature of emotions elicited by a soundscape and to measure these reliably. Yet the crucial question—which basic and complex emotions are triggered and how they relate to affective appraisal—has still not been conclusively answered. To help frame research on this topic, an overview of the theoretical background is presented that applies emotion theory to soundscape. Two latent fundamental dimensions are often found at the center of theoretical concepts of emotion: valence and arousal. These established universal dimensions can also be applied in the context of emotions that are elicited by soundscapes. Another, and perhaps more familiar, parallel is found between emotion and music. However, acoustic environments are more subtle than musical arrangements, rarely applying the compositional and artistic considerations frequently used in music. That said, the measurement of emotion in the context of soundscape studies is only of additional value if some fundamental inquiries are sufficiently answered: To what extent does the reporting act itself alter emotional responses? Are all important affective qualities consciously accessible and directly measurable by self-reports? How can emotion related to the environment be separated from affective predisposition? By means of a conceptual analysis of relevant soundscape publications, the consensus and conflicts on these fundamental questions in the light of soundscape theory are highlighted and needed research actions are framed. The overview closes with a proposed modification to an existing, standardized framework to include the meaning of emotion in the design of soundscapes.
Possible definitions for the concept of "soundscape intervention" and criteria that could be used to identify stages in a design-oriented framework are discussed. This is in line with the Part 4 of the ISO 12913 series on soundscape being currently developed. The long-term goal is observing frequent/recurring situations or strategies that can be collated into design toolkits and formulate design briefs that local authorities will be using to communicate with soundscape consultants. For some time already, the soundscape concept has attracted attention from policy-makers and practitioners of the built environment, as it advocates for more engagement with local communities in design processes. This is reflected in several documents published by national and international agencies calling for consultation and participation of the public in the definition of soundscape interventions. However, this intended framework did not really make any significant breakthrough in the planning and design community, possibly for the lack of conspicuous empirical evidence (i.e., case studies and success stories) showing the benefits provided by the soundscape approach, and some lack of consensus about what a "soundscape intervention" is in the first place. Therefore, an online platform will be presented that can be used for data collection of soundscape intervention examples.
Over the past 20 years, there has been a significant increase in soundscape studies focusing on urban scenarios. Policymakers are increasingly attracted to the concept of soundscapes, as reflected in several documents issued by international agencies that advocate a more user-centred approach when considering the urban acoustic environment. Despite widespread interest in the concept of soundscape, a consensus and systematic review of soundscape design and interventions, as well as a summary of empirical evidence on the benefits of sound methods, are still lacking. The catalogue of soundscape interventions (CSI) project aims to provide a tool for data collection and communication on soundscape practice, with the long-term goal of compiling frequent/recurring soundscape strategies into a “design toolkit” and developing a “design brief” to facilitate communication between local authorities and soundscape consultants and researchers. A platform for collecting examples of soundscape intervention has been published online, and the project is currently in its second phase of populating the example database. When sufficient practices have been gathered, a taxonomy of soundscape design will be developed, which will eventually become a “design toolkit.” To ensure that all perspectives are represented, and the taxonomy is based on consensus, stakeholders will be consulted. If a significant increase in the number of soundscape practices is detected, the taxonomy may require revision.
New soundscape approaches consider plus sound design to create a more positive atmosphere and to reduce the audibility of unwanted sound sources. By adding water installations, sound art or simply music for example, urban noise can be efficiently masked to a certain degree. Although this design approach appears reasonable, scarce amount of data is available regarding the potential and limitations of additive sound measures in public spaces. In this context, the enrichment of the acoustic environment by music is frequently discussed and mainly applied in indoor settings. However, such measures raise ethical concerns when it comes to subconscious effects, because they might lead to behavioral changes. In Berlin, a variety of music pieces and genres were played in public transportation waiting areas to investigate the effect of the music on the atmosphere and passengers. In order to examine the effects of the music on different assessment parameters (e.g., perceived safety, cleanliness, mood, loudness) varying data collection tools were applied insitu to investigate the implications of additive sound design based on music streams in detail. The paper presents survey results with a special focus on how the perception of the soundscapes is changed by the added sound.
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