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Field measurements and numerical modelling were used to study the acoustic performance of a low screen in an urban road setting. The results show the usefulness of low screens as well as suggests improvements in screen design. For the measurements, an acoustic screen built up from concrete modules was temporarily installed beside a small park on the reservation between a two-lane road and a track for walking and cycling. A larger traffic system, of which the two-lane road is a part, determines the daytime equivalent noise level within the urban area. The screen height was about 1.4 m as measured from the level of the road surface and the width of the screen top was 0.3 m. Measurements were carried out both at 20 m distance from the road (within the park) and at 5 m distance from the road (at the cycle track). Insertion loss in maximum level, using controlled lightvehicle pass-by at 50 km/h, was measured to 10 dB at 5 m distance and to 6 dB at 20 m distance, at 1.5 m height. Insertion loss in equivalent level was measured within the park to 4 dB at 1.5 m height. A listening experiment confirmed a perceived improvement from installing the screen. The measured results were also compared with predicted results using a boundary element method (BEM) and a noise mapping software, the latter showing good agreement, overestimating the equivalent level insertion loss by 1 dB in the park. The BEM comparison showed reasonable agreement in maximum level insertion loss considering that facade reflections were excluded, with an overestimation of 5 dB at the cycle track, and good agreement in the park, overestimating by up to 1 dB the equivalent and maximum level insertion losses. BEM predictions were used to also investigate other screen designs, showing a positive effect of an acoustically soft screen top, significant for a screen width of 0.2 m and increasing for wider screens.

The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between land use and sound sources and how to characterize urban environments in this respect. To this end, binaural recordings and 360° videos were used in a listening experiment, where 20 university students assessed the dominance of sound sources coupled with the appropriateness of land use variables and variables of social and recreational activities. Principal Components Analysis showed that the activity-based environment can be explained by two main components related to the degree of manmade features and the density of people. These components are closely associated with sounds.

Soundscape exists through human perception of the acoustic environment. This paper investigates how soundscape currently is assessed and measured. It reviews and analyzes the main soundscape descriptors in the soundscape literature, and provides a conceptual framework for developing predictive models in soundscape studies. A predictive soundscape model provides a means of predicting the value of a soundscape descriptor, and the blueprint for how to design soundscape. It is the key for implementing the soundscape approach in urban planning and design. The challenge is to select the appropriate soundscape descriptor and to identify its predictors. The majority of available soundscape descriptors are converging towards a 2-dimensional soundscape model of perceived affective quality (e.g., Pleasantness–Eventfulness, or Calmness–Vibrancy). A third potential dimension is the appropriateness of a soundscape to a place. This dimensions provides complementary information beyond the perceived affective quality. However, it depends largely on context, and because a soundscape may be appropriate to a place although it is poor, this descriptor must probably not be used on its own. With regards to predictors, or soundscape indicators, perceived properties of the acoustic environment (e.g., perceived sound sources) are winning over established acoustic and psychoacoustic metrics. To move this area forward it is necessary that the international soundscape community comes together and agrees on relevant soundscape descriptors. This includes to agree on numerical scales and assessment procedures, as well as to standardize them.

This study aims at examining the effect of socio-cultural context, including language, on soundscape assessments in urban parks. In total, 95 persons took part in three laboratory experiments, conducted in France (30 participants), Korea (30 participants) and Sweden (35 participants). Twenty-eight audio-visual excerpts from recordings conducted in five urban parks were used as stimuli. The participants evaluated soundscape quality using attribute scales provided in their own native languages. Principal Components Analysis produced two principal components of perceived affective quality, Pleasantness and Eventfulness. There were high levels of similarity in attributes associated with the Pleasantness among the three countries, whereas some differences were observed in the attributes related to Eventfulness. Two hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted based on perceived dominance of sound sources, and component scores of perceived affective quality. There were no significant differences in clustering results based on perceived dominance of sound sources among the different nationalities. In contrast, discrepancies were found in the clustering results based on perceived affective quality. In particular, perceptual responses to human sounds, birdsong, and water sounds, which are closely related to Eventfulness, were significantly different across the three cultural backgrounds. These findings provide empirical evidence of socio-cultural differences in soundscape assessment. Accepted version

As a complement to conventional noise mitigation, addition of wanted sounds, in particular sounds from water structures, has been suggested as a method for improving noise-polluted acoustic environ ...

Three conservation methods were executed on bonnets in plain monochrome silk, to investigate which method is perceived as the most visually aesthetic; 11 bonnets were produced, 10 given identical damages, and 9 were conserved, 3 with each method. The damage was secured onto a support fabric with laid couching, a long stitch fastened with short perpendicular stitches, or brick couching, short stitches placed like brick-work, or covered with crepeline (a semi-transparent silk). The participants were 30 Swedish textile conservators (29 women; ages 29–78 years, M = 51.9, SD = 12.9), and 30 museum visitors (20 women; ages 15–74 years, M = 41.1, SD = 18.3). The participants’ task was to rate the bonnets on a 100-point continuous preference scale, based on how visually attractive they found each bonnet. Preferences were compared between the two groups of participants and the conservation methods. The bonnets with crepeline were the most preferred, and those with laid couching were the least preferred, among both groups of participants.

There is a need for a model that identifies underlying dimensions of soundscape perception, and which may guide measurement and improvement of soundscape quality. With the purpose to develop such a model, a listening experiment was conducted. One hundred listeners measured 50 excerpts of binaural recordings of urban outdoor soundscapes on 116 attribute scales. The average attribute scale values were subjected to principal components analysis, resulting in three components: Pleasantness, eventfulness, and familiarity, explaining 50, 18 and 6% of the total variance, respectively. The principal-component scores were correlated with physical soundscape properties, including categories of dominant sounds and acoustic variables. Soundscape excerpts dominated by technological sounds were found to be unpleasant, whereas soundscape excerpts dominated by natural sounds were pleasant, and soundscape excerpts dominated by human sounds were eventful. These relationships remained after controlling for the overall soundscape loudness (Zwicker's N(10)), which shows that 'informational' properties are substantial contributors to the perception of soundscape. The proposed principal components model provides a framework for future soundscape research and practice. In particular, it suggests which basic dimensions are necessary to measure, how to measure them by a defined set of attribute scales, and how to promote high-quality soundscapes.

Individual differences in preferences to photographs were explored based on an alternative framework. This framework predicts that the primary difference between individuals in this respect is thei ...

Aesthetic quality is central to textile conservators when evaluating a conservation method. However, the literature on textile conservation chiefly focuses on physical properties, and little is known about what factors determine aesthetic quality according to textile conservators. The latter was explored through two experiments. Experiment 1 explored the underlying attributes of aesthetic quality of textile conservation interventions. Experiment 2 explored the relationships between these attributes and how well they predicted aesthetic quality. Rank-order correlation analyses revealed two latent factors called Coherence and Completeness. Ordinal regression analysis revealed that Coherence was the most important predictor of aesthetic quality. This means that a successful conservation intervention is visually well-integrated with the textile item in terms of the material and method.

The Swedish Soundscape-Quality Protocol was developed to help non-experts (e.g., officials working for municipalities rather than soundscaperesearchers) to make informed, accurate measurements of soundscape quality. The Protocol has hitherto been used in England, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands; a Korean version is being developed. Based on field studies – soundwalks in urban residential areas, recreational areas, and parks – the present paper reports on the psychometric properties of the scales of the Protocol. Participants were residents, or visitors to the areas and their results support the reliability and validity of the scales in the Protocol. Because high acoustic quality has a greater effect in visually attractive than in visually poor areas, the Swedish Soundscape-Quality Protocol includes scales for cross-sensory tabulation. These are sound source identification – sounds from humans, nature and technology – attribute scales (e.g., eventful, exciting, pleasant, and calm), overall soundscape quality, and concomitant visual impressions. In brief, the Swedish Soundscape-Quality Protocol is an easy to use and practical tool for measuringsoundscape quality. It has the potential to help operationalize how soundscapes can be measured in “quiet areas” to meet a future guideline value of the World Health Organization.

In February 2009 the working group ISO/TC 43/SC 1/WG 54 “Perceptual assessment of soundscape quality”, of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), begun preparing the first International Standard on soundscape “ISO 12913-1 Acoustics — Soundscape — Part 1: Definition and conceptual framework”. This paper presents the latest version of the definition of “soundscape” and its conceptual framework. At its current state of development the framework highlights seven general concepts and their relationships: (1) sound sources, (2) acoustic environment, (3) auditory sensations, (4) interpretation of auditory sensations, (5) responses, (6) context, and (7) outcomes. By providing a standard reference, the working group aims at international consensus in order to avoid ambiguity, and to enable conceptual progress in soundscape research. ISO 12913-1 is expected to be published as an International Standard in 2015. Subsequent parts of the ISO 12913 series will deal with minimum reporting requirements in soundscape research, and methods for measuring soundscape quality.

In a field study, we explored the relationship between the soundscape and the overall quality (good - bad) of outdoor open places. Thirty three residents in down town Stockholm participated in soundwalks near their homes. Along the soundwalk route, the participants assessed six places with respect to the soundscape, the visual environment and the overall quality of the place using a questionnaire. The six locations were preselected to vary in acoustic and visual quality. A regression model with pleasantness of the auditory and visual environment as predictors explained a substantial part of the variance in assessments of the six place's overall quality. To disentangle the specific effects of auditory and visual aspects, the present study will be complemented with laboratory experiments in which visual and auditory aspects are independently manipulated.

While a vast nation like the USA has the capacity to be self-sufficient, many countries lack this privilege. Take Sweden as an example, a small country in northern Europe with a population of 9 million. Swedes are proud to be international. And they should, because how could a nation, which since the days of the Vikings has depended on international trade, sustain itself without a global economy. International standards support the development within this global economy, just like English as business language facilitates global collaboration. Imagine humanity without these common frames of reference.

Water features are well-acknowledged in architecture and urban planning for their visual characteristics. But, how do water features contribute to acoustic diversity and soundscape quality? Visitors in an urban park were recruited to complete a questionnaire on how they perceived the park including its soundscape. Meanwhile, the soundscape was manipulated by turning a fountain on or off at irregular hours. The fountain sounds had a positive effect on soundscape quality in an area close to the fountain, by masking background road-traffic noise. The fountain sound also masked other natural sounds, which may have a negative influence on acoustic diversity and soundscape quality. In addition, some participants may have mistaken the fountain sounds for distant road-traffic noise. Hence, when introducing a water feature in an urban park it is necessary to consider the acoustic characteristics of the water sounds, as well as the placement of the water feature.

Sounding Brighton is a collaborative project exploring practical approaches toward better soundscapes focusing on soundscape issues related to health, quality of life, and restorative functions of the environment. The project provides the opportunity to raise awareness and promote communication on soundscapes among the general public, stakeholders and those involved in policy, including encouraging exploration of new ways of listening in local soundscapes, and new ways of tackling noise and improving local soundscape quality. The project is working to provide opportunities to discuss how soundscape concepts might, alongside tackling conventional noise problems, contribute to local planning and environmental improvement as part of a city wide engagement process in the city of Brighton and Hove in England in the United Kingdom. A range of environments, e.g., seafront, foreshore, historic terraces, squares, lanes, parks, and gardens, are being considered. A soundmap of the city is being developed utilizing the Swedish Soundscape-Quality Protocol (developed by Osten Axelsson, Mats E Nilsson and Birgitta Berglund); a public outreach exhibition is being developed; and a night noise intervention study is planned to explore the relationship between soundscapes and the brain, community well being, social cohesion, and the physical and mental health of individuals.

It is commonly believed that progress and success in any field requires competition. This is probably true, but this belief implies that all competitors have a common view on the objectives. There would not be much competition if all parties ran off in opposite directions, striving to achieve different goals. Nor would it lead to much progress. The present session calls for networking and international collaboration in soundscape research. For such collaboration to be successful, it is critical to agree on a common agenda; a mission; an objective. Recent development in soundscape research makes evident that the objective must be practical and applicable. Our minds must be set to implementing soundscape research in practice to avoid exhausting academic debates, which tend to be ends in themselves and do not contribute to progress. Two excellent, recent examples of international collaboration in soundscape research, contributing to progress, are ISO/TC 43/SC 1/WG 54 and the European COST Action TD0804 “Soundscape of European Cities and Landscapes.” Both illustrate the need for international and interdisciplinary collaboration among acousticians, architects, and urban planners to accelerate progress in soundscape research. The present paper presents possible topics for a common agenda in soundscape research.

With the aim to contribute to the development of a psychology of photography, this study examined what attributes are the major determinants of aesthetic appeal of photographs. Two interlinked experiments were conducted with 564 photographs having a wide range of motifs. Exp. 1 consisted of sorting by aesthetic appeal and adjective generation. In Exp. 2, attribute scaling was collected. Multidimensional scaling analysis of the photographs yielded three dimensions identified with the aid of attribute scales combined with measures of the manifest content of the photographs. The three dimensions were Hedonic Tone–Familiarity, Absence of color, and Expressiveness–Dynamics. The present results suggested that participants' familiarity with the photographs, the types of photographs (Color or Black & White), and the photographs' dynamics all affected participants' judgments of aesthetic appeal. Hedonic Tone and Expressiveness apparently mediated the participants' judgments.

A field experiment was conducted to explore whether water sounds from a fountain had a positive impact on soundscape quality in a downtown park. In total, 405 visitors were recruited to answer a questionnaire on how they perceived the park, including its acoustic environment. Meanwhile the fountain was turned on or off, at irregular hours. Water sounds from the fountain were not directly associated with ratings of soundscape quality. Rather, the predictors of soundscape quality were the variables “Road-traffic noise” and “Other natural sounds”. The former had a negative and the latter a positive impact. However, water sounds may have had an indirect impact on soundscape quality by affecting the audibility of road-traffic and natural sounds. The present results, obtained in situ, agree with previous results in soundscape research that the sounds perceived—particularly roadtraffic and natural sounds—explain soundscape quality. They also agree with the results from laboratory studies that water sounds may mask road-traffic sounds, but that this is not simple and straight forward. Thus sound should be brought into the design scheme when introducing water features in urban open spaces, and their environmental impact must be thoroughly assessed empirically.