Standardization in soundscape and its application

Abstract

Since 2014, the first ISO Standard in Soundscape is on the market: IS0 12931-1, 2014 Acoustics — Soundscape — Part 1: Definition and conceptual framework. The Standard “explains factors relevant for measurement and reporting in soundscape studies, as well as for planning, design and management of soundscape.” It is a first but big step to accept the idea that the perception of people has at least the same relevance as the physical measurements for the purposes of urban planning. Moreover, as sound is considered to be a resource and not a waste, the door is now open for designing our acoustic environment. The next step in this process is the development of ISO 12931-2 on methods and measurements, from which we will learn more about the character of holistic judgments. In addition, there is much new work on ANSI standards that consider life in park and wilderness areas. All of these engagements are directed to enhance the quality of life not only for humans but also for non-human beings. The paper will describe and discuss these different approaches.

Identifying barriers to engage with soundscape standards: Insights from national standards bodies and experts

“…(GOV, bep) An outreach strategy, such as the participatory framework in Xiao et al (2018), can trigger conversations with local authorities and stakeholders on what benefits the soundscape approach would bring to each community, and it can help assessing the contribution of ISO 12913 and identifying ways to intertwine with the other environmental policies (see Ratcliffe, 2021;Jiang et al, 2022;Kang et al, 2023). To promote the soundscape approach, it is essential to inform local participants and stakeholders in communities; this involves utilizing available resources while considering the impact on future generations, as well as considering socio-cultural, aesthetic, and economic effects (Schulte-Fortkamp, 2018). In this sense, participatory soundwalks and workshops with stakeholders and communities are effective in making real-life behavioral changes in managing and perceiving environmental sounds (Radicchi et al, 2016).…”

Assessing the soundscape of heritage streets in Melaka: the ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 method of data collection

“…[1] Very good; [2] Good; [3] Neither good, nor bad; [4] Bad; [5] Very bad Appropriateness of the surrounding sound environment Overall, to what extent is the present surrounding sound environment appropriate to the present place? [1] Not at all; [2] Slightly; [3] Moderately; [4] Very; [5] Perfectly Table 4. Sample of questionnaire using Method B [17] Category Question/items Scale/Response Type Assessment of the sound environment…”

“…• How appropriate is the sound to the surrounding? [1] Not at all; [2] Slightly; [3] Moderately; [4] Very; [5] Extremely • How often would you like to visit this place again? [1] Never; [2] Rarely; [3] Sometimes; [4] Often; [5] Very often Sound source recognition and ranking Please list sound sources you noticed in descending order starting with the most noticeable sound source.…”

“…This evaluation method does not count in the complex interaction between sounds and human perception of the sounds [4]. Hence, the concept of soundscape was introduced as an approach to rethink the way sound is evaluated [5].…”

“…A review of soundscape studies by Engel et al [1] showed that most papers focused on outdoor spaces and urban areas such as green spaces, urban parks, public squares, and spaces where many humans or pedestrians meet. This is unsurprising as the initial concept of soundscape centres around holistically assessing the acoustic environment to improve human health, well-being, and quality of life [5].…”