A Green Soundscape Index (GSI): The potential of assessing the perceived balance between natural sound and traffic noise

Kogan, Pablo; Arenas, Jorge P.; Bermejo, Fernando; Hinalaf, María de Los Angeles; Turra, Bruno

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.023

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Kogan at al. [24] defined the Green Soundscape Index (GSI) as a dynamic and complex multidimensional environmental system, which is defined as the ratio of the perceived natural sounds' range to street noise.…”

Section: Noise Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noise as a Factor of Green Areas Soundscape Creation

et al. 2020

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The article’s research subject concerns soundscape acoustic perception and human perception. The article aims to support decision-making processes, based on the subjective assessment of green areas by visitors, allowing modeling of planning strategies in urban green areas. This would allow creating a friendly soundscape and managing it sustainably. The need to create a musical landscape can contribute to finding a new function and attractive form for the studied areas now and in the future. Research carried out for selected city parks in Bydgoszcz (Poland) took into consideration people’s responses in assessing the soundscape. Surveys conducted in selected parks provided information on noise sources and how consumers perceive noise during their stay in the park. A question about feeling described the reception of sound sources’ intensity by respondents (level of feeling: low, medium, high, and very high). The completed studies allow to “translate” subjective sound level responses to the numerical values of the correlation using fuzzy cognitive maps. The implemented scenarios show the possibility of using tools supporting the decision-making process in urban planning, taking into account existing acoustic conditions.

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Section: Noise Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noise as a Factor of Green Areas Soundscape Creation

et al. 2020

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“…Kvalitet zvučnog pejzaža zavisi od karakteristika zvukova koji se emituju u okviru samog okruženja, njihovog broja i frekvencije, njihove konsonance ili disonance (u zavisnosti kako ih doživljava slušalac), osećanja i kognitivnog suda koje zvuk evocira kod slušaoca, kao i od promenljivosti odnosno monotonosti zvučnog pejzaža [1]. Ravnoteža između prirodnih zvukova i saobraćajne buke mogla bi se uzeti kao indikator kvaliteta zvučnog pejzaža, kako bi se istakao nesklad između onih zvučnih izvora koji se percipiraju kao prijatni, pozitivni i blagotvorni nasuprot onih koji se smatraju nepovoljnim, negativnim, i štetnim po zvučni pejzaž [4]. Ovo je podsticaj za arhitekte i urbaniste da kreiraju prijatnije i zdravije zvučne pejzaže uklanjanjem nepoželjnih zvukova (smanjenjem saobraćaja i postavljanjem zvučnih barijera), maskiranjem neželjenih zvukova prijatnijim zvucima (npr.…”

Section: Uvodunclassified

“…The quality of the soundscape depends on the characteristics of the sounds emitted in the environment, their number and frequencies, their consonance or dissonance (as perceived by the listener), the emotions and cognitive judgment evoked in the listener, as well as on the changeability vs. monotony of the soundscape [1]. Balance between natural sounds and traffic noise could be used as an indicator of the quality of soundscape to highlight the discrepancy between those sound sources that are perceived as favorable, positive, and restorative vs. those that are viewed as unfavorable, negative, and damaging to the soundscape [4]. This encourages architects and urban planners to create more pleasant and healthier soundscapes by eliminating unwanted sounds (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of human reactions to environmental sounds

Paunović¹

2020

Srpski medicinski časopis Lekarske komore

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Soundscape is defined as the entire acoustic environment and the human responses to it. This review summarizes different human reactions to sound exposure, their development, prevalence, symptoms, comorbidities, methods for their assessment, and possible origins. The interpretation of sounds from the environment depends, not only on the characteristics of the sound itself, but also on the characteristics of the listener, their judgments, preferences, motivations, and emotional reactions to the sound or its source. Typical sound-related reactions are presented from two standpoints: population reactions, from the community perspective, and individual reactions, from the clinical perspective. Noise annoyance is a specific, unique, and typical psychological and physiological reaction to noise, which is assessed from the community perspective. Noise sensitivity, a stable personality trait, is at the basis of noise annoyance. Both noise annoyance and noise sensitivity play important roles in the development of other noise-related health disturbances. From the clinical perspective, hyperacusis and misophonia are the most distinctive individual responses to specific sounds. They may become so pronounced that they disturb one's physical and mental health, behavior, and functioning. Human reactions to sounds in the environment are widespread and well-investigated. This review goes beyond merely defining terminology in the domain of psychoacoustics; it may help health professionals understand human reactions to sound better. Further studies need to be directed towards developing methods for alleviating or treating the described reactions, but also towards creating a more pleasant acoustic environment for the purpose of protecting public health.

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“…There remains doubt, however, whether this classification is fully applicable to urban areas because of the potentially different spectral composition present (Devos 2016, Fairbrass et al 2017. If ecoacoustic indices could be applied in urban areas, they could offer a useful way to characterize the spatial pattern in naturalness within cities (but also see Kogan et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variation in Sound Frequency Components Across an Urban Area Derived from Mobile Surveys

Alvares-Sanches

Osborne

White

et al. 2019

Future Cities and Environment

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Continuous exposure to noise can lead to premature hearing loss, reduced cognitive performance, insomnia, stress, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Road noise affects the health of >125 million people in the European Union and Member States are required to map major noise hotspots. These strategic noise maps are usually derived from traffic counts and propagation models because large-scale measurement of the acoustic environment using conventional methods is infeasible. In this study, the authors surveyed the entire city of Southampton, UK using a mobile survey technique, capturing spatial variations in street-level sound characteristics across multiple frequencies from all sound sources. Over 52,000 calibrated and georeferenced sound clips covering 11 Hz to 22.7 kHz are analysed here to investigate variations in sound frequency composition across urban space and then applied to two issues: the definition of naturalness in the acoustic environment; and perceptions of social inequity in sound exposure. Clusters of acoustic characteristics were identified and mapped using spectral clustering and principal components analysis based on octave bands, ecoacoustic indices and dBA. We found independent patterns in low, mid and high frequencies, and the ecoacoustic indices that related to land use. Ecoacoustic indices partially mapped onto greenspace, identifying naturalness, but not uniquely, probably because urban anthropogenic sounds occur at higher frequencies than in the natural areas where such indices were developed. There was some evidence of inequity in sound exposure according to social deprivation and ethnicity, and results differed according to frequency bands. The consequences of these findings and the benefits of city-wide sound surveys for urban planning are discussed.

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A Green Soundscape Index (GSI): The potential of assessing the perceived balance between natural sound and traffic noise

Cited by 35 publications

References 48 publications

Noise as a Factor of Green Areas Soundscape Creation

Noise as a Factor of Green Areas Soundscape Creation

A review of human reactions to environmental sounds

Spatial Variation in Sound Frequency Components Across an Urban Area Derived from Mobile Surveys

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