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Noise pollution is one of the key environmental stressors leading to multiple health impacts for people and communities. Exposure to high noise levels may also be responsible for sudden emotional and physiological changes in humans. The experiment examines the change in Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) signals during exposure to pre-recorded soundscape scenarios. These scenarios were recorded in New Delhi, India and London, UK, using a binaural microphone set. The listening experiment was conducted in a laboratory, where 24 healthy individuals without any hearing impairment or any psychological issues participated. A total of 30 soundscape scenarios were presented to each participant in a randomised order. The continuous decomposition analysis is conducted to decompose that data into tonic and phasic components. The phasic component of the signal is used for the analysis. It is observed that skin conductance response (SCR) increases with changes in the overall loudness of the signal. Psychoacoustic indicators are used to identify the relationship between different acoustical characters of noise and changes in SCR. The perception-based survey suggests that GSR response is highly dependent on the pleasantness level of the soundscape scenario.

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.

Results of an online survey conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown among 848 home workers living in London (United Kingdom) and in Italy are reported with a focus on (1) the impacts of building services on the perception of the acoustic environment while working and relaxing at home and (2) the factors associated with window opening behaviour. The analyses showed no significant difference in soundscape appropriateness for relaxation depending on the heating, ventilation and cooling system typologies, and in soundscape appropriateness for working from home (WFH) based on the ventilation strategy. Higher soundscape appropriateness for WFH was associated with houses equipped only with radiant floors for heating in Italy and with air-cooling systems in London. In London, air systems resulted in higher perceived dominance of noise from building services compared to other systems. Overall, rooms with less dominant sounds from building services were evaluated as more appropriate for working and relaxing. The dominance of sky or buildings from the window view, outdoor noisiness, noise sensitivity, age and gender were not significantly associated with participants’ window opening behaviour while WFH. Differently, participants viewing more vegetation from windows in Italy were more likely (odds ratio: 1.279) to keep the window open while WFH.

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.

Sexual well-being is a fundamental facet of the overall well-being of individuals and implies the ability to have safe and pleasurable sexual experiences, beyond the absence of disease or disturbance. The extent to which people can achieve sexual well-being depends, among other aspects, on whether they live in an environment that promotes and support it. The present study focuses on the unexplored impacts of the perceived acoustic environment (i.e., the soundscape) on human sexual activity carried out in domestic settings. Verbal descriptions have been gathered from open-ended questions included in a survey administered to 848 respondents living in London (UK) and in Italy in January 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Thematic analysis was used to extract a framework detailing the positive and negative impacts of the acoustic environment on sexual activity. The results show the mechanisms by which the acoustic features of the environment can impact on the sexual experience in terms of privacy, distraction, disruption or support, up to trigger coping strategies (e.g., controlling windows, playing music) and behavioural changes (e.g., lowering the volume of the voice) that can in turn limit or enhance the freedom of sexual behaviour, affect or foster sexual well-being.

Noise annoyance has been often reported as one of the main adverse effects of noise exposure on human health, and there is consensus that it relates to several factors going beyond the mere energy content of the signal. Research has historically focused on a limited set of sound sources (e.g., transport and industrial noise); only more recently is attention being given to more holistic aspects of urban acoustic environments and the role they play in the noise annoyance perceptual construct. This is the main approach promoted in soundscape studies, looking at both wanted and unwanted sounds. In this study, three specific aspects were investigated, namely: (1) the effect of different sound sources combinations, (2) the number of sound sources present in the soundscape, and (3) the presence of individual sound source, on noise annoyance perception. For this purpose, a large-scale online experiment was carried out with 1.2k+ participants, using 2.8k+ audio recordings of complex urban acoustic environments to investigate how they would influence the perceived noise annoyance. Results showed that: (1) the combinations of different sound sources were not important, compared, instead, to the number of sound sources identified in the soundscape recording (regardless of sound sources type); (2) the annoyance ratings expressed a minimum when any two clearly distinguishable sound sources were present in a given urban soundscape; and (3) the presence (either in isolation or combination) of traffic-related sound sources increases noise annoyance, while the presence (either in isolation or combination) of nature-related sound sources decreases noise annoyance.

Discussion paper on importance on considering noise pollution within the sustainability discourse by using the soundscape framework.

The University of Granada team received no external funding for this project. The UCL team was funded through the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant (no. 740696) on "Soundscape Indices" (SSID)., Soundscape assessments by citizens are starting to emerge as a common practice, normally carried out in context by means of soundwalks along selected paths with volunteers. However, when such assessments are carried out, either in situ or in laboratory experiments, visually impaired citizens are not usually involved. To address this question, three soundwalks were carried out in 2020 in the city of Granada, in southern Spain, with the participation of visually impaired people. In this paper, we present the lessons learnt from this research with respect to the methodology issues that have to do with soundwalking and the surveying procedures when people with limited vison are participating, the assessment results, and a comparison with a soundscape evaluation carried out in 2019 without the collaboration of visually impaired people. The results of this preliminary campaign highlight that: (1) Adapting soundscape assessment protocols from standards for visually impaired people is a methodological challenge that requires research attention; (2) Some of the different patterns in the assessment of the soundscape pleasantness between visually impaired and nonvisually impaired participants emerged; (3) The perception of quietness may differ for visually impaired people when orientation and identification are factors that play a role in the acoustic environment evaluation., European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 740696

The use of questionnaires for soundscape evaluation is a key aspect of soundscape research. Since standards and protocols mainly exist in English, using an appropriate translation and cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) methodology is necessary to maintain content equivalence between source and target language. However, many examples can be found in the literature where no appropriate methodology was applied. This study addresses the neglected aspect of the translation and CCA process in soundscape research by selecting, applying and evaluating an appropriate methodology. After a survey of the relevant literature, an approach based on a combined technique of the forward translation, synthesis, back translation, pre- test and a committee approach was selected. Additional translation guidelines drawn from the literature are suggested and implemented. For the case study of the Greek translation of ISO/TS 12913–2:2018 attributes (Method A), the steps of the methodology were applied by four independent translation groups with different compositions according to the biculturalism and bilingualism of the group members. A method for categorization of bilinguals according to the literature is proposed. In order to compare and validate the results, translated and original attributes were used in listening tests with Greek and English participants respectively, and principal component analysis (PCA) was applied. The most important findings of this research are: the results of the bicultural translation group were closer to the PCA results of the English participants for every attribute, translation of bilingual groups may not be always sufficient, translation errors may be misinterpreted for cross-cultural differences without proper application of a translation methodology and the process of back translation can be effective, especially in cases where there are not corresponding words in the target language. Finally, PCA can be used as a validation methodology for comparison of different translations.

Hospitals are controlled yet complex ecosystems which provide a therapeutic environment that promotes healing, wellbeing and work efficiency for patients and staff. As these buildings accommodate the sick and vulnerable, occupant wellbeing and good indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that deals with indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics are important objectives. As the specialist nature of hospital function demands highly controlled indoor environments, this makes them energy intensive buildings due to the complex and varying specifications for their functions and operations. This paper reports on a holistic building performance evaluation covering aspects of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, and energy use. It assesses the performance issues and inter-relationships between IEQ and energy in a new building on a hospital campus in the city of Bristol, United Kingdom. The empirical evidence collated from this case study and the feedback received from the hospital staff help identify the endemic issues and constraints related to hospital buildings, such as the need for robust ventilation strategies in hospitals in urban areas that mitigate the effect of indoor and outdoor air pollution and ensuring the use of planned new low-carbon technologies. Whilst the existing guidelines for building design provide useful instructions for the protection of hospital buildings against ingress of particulate matter from outdoors, more advanced filtration strategies may be required to enact chemical reactions required to control the concentration levels of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene. Further lessons for improved performance in operation and maintenance of hospitals are highlighted. These include ensuring that the increasingly available metering and monitoring data in new buildings, through building management systems, is used for efficient and optimal building operations for better IEQ and energy management. Overall, the study highlights the need for an integrated and holistic approach to building performance to ensure that healthy environments are provided while energy efficiency targets are met.

Soundscape is influenced by both acoustic and contextual factors. The aim is to investigate if space syntax tools can inform the soundscape assessment framework for urban planning and design as planning-related configurational factors are often overlooked in soundscape studies. Soundwalk is an essential part of Methods A and B for soundscape assessment per ISO/TS 12913-2: 2018. The space syntax analysis was performed on the area covering the locations where consecutive in situ audio and video recordings were performed from 2013 until 2017, in a walkspace system of public places in the historical centre of Zagreb, Croatia. The recordings were then used for a virtual soundwalk. The overlapped results indicate that syntactical values for control, choice and integration can be used to describe spatio-social context and inform the soundwalk set up.

Three studies in London are presented about the changes of the acoustic environment and its perception, triggered by the first lockdown measures imposed during Spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The first study compared short-term binaural recordings performed pre- and during-lockdown at 11 public locations. Results revealed the decreases in sound levels varied from 1.2 to 10.7 dB(A) depending on the urban setting type. The second study made use of soundscape data gathered from users on site for the pre-lockdown survey to construct a model to predict how the lockdown soundscapes of the same locations (which were impossible to assess due to lack of people) would be experienced. A further validation listening experiment confirmed that lowering levels was not always followed up by improved experience. The third study looked at changes in noise complaints reported by residents to local authorities across the London boroughs and highlighted an increase of 47.5%, with neighborhood noise being the most relevant category. Taken together, the results from these studies demonstrate reduced urban activity leads to uneven sound level reduction across urban spaces and that significant sound level reductions do not universally result in improvements to the soundscape, whether in public spaces or at home.

Exceptional circumstances in the city of Granada due to the COVID-19 lockdown have provided the opportunity to characterise the impact of humans on its urban acoustic climate. Traditional environmental noise management and urban sound planning usually take into account noise sources in the city, such as industrial activities or road traffic noise, in model estimations, as well as in empirical research. But trying to isolate human impact by itself, human activity including social activity, walking, talking or just going around the city, has always been a difficult or even impossible task. The COVID-19 lockdown measures have provided the opportunity to study urban climate as never before, affected just by natural or animal noise sources. Previous soundscape research at some iconic sites in the city of Granada carried out in 2019 before the lockdown and a special measuring campaign carried out at the same locations during the lockdown in 2020 offered valuable information on sound levels and local characteristics in order to carry out this comparison. Results show a great change in environmental noise levels that is interesting not only because of its magnitude, but also for its implications, especially at those sites where social human activity was an identifying characteristic. Natural or animal sounds became surprisingly evident at some study sites, especially where road traffic noise dramatically decreased, leading to significantly lower background noise levels. Important spectral changes are observed before and during the lockdown, suggesting a shift from anthropic to animal sources in the acoustic environment., Scientific Instrumentation Centre of the University of Granada, University College London, European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant (no. 740696) on “Soundscape Indices” (SSID)

With the recent development of audio in modern VR/AR systems and the increasing capability of synthesizing natural sound fields over headphones with head tracking, the question of the ability of our hearing system to discriminate multiple concurrent sound sources has become important again. We must understand how psychoacoustical and psychophysical limitations of the hearing system cope with novel technologies of virtual acoustics that can simulate an almost unlimited number of sound sources. Previous research has shown that the capacity of human hearing to discriminate a reference sound source is limited when there is background noise, a reverberant surrounding, or when other, disturbing sound sources simultaneously mask the reference source. A set of listening tests based on the cocktail-party effect was designed to determine the intelligibility of speech emitted by a reference sound source, with one to six disturbing sound sources simultaneously emitting speech from different directions around the listener. The tests were repeated in three test rooms with different acoustical properties, and two test signals were used: logatomes and regular spoken sentences with specific keywords. The results have revealed the changes in speech intelligibility scores in relation to the number of disturbing sources, their positions, and acoustical properties of test rooms.

Models of perceived affective quality of soundscapes have been recently included into standards to guide the measurement and improvement of urban soundscapes. Such models have been developed in outdoor contexts and their validity in indoor built environments is unclear. A laboratory listening test was performed in a mock-up living room with a window sight, in order to develop an indoor soundscape model for residential buildings. During the test, 35 participants were asked to rate 20 different scenarios each. Scenarios were defined by combining four indoor sound sources and five urban environments, filtered through a window ajar, on 97 attribute scales. By applying principal component analysis, Comfort, Content, and Familiarity, were extracted as the main perceptual dimensions explaining respectively 58%, 25% and 7% of the total variance. Relationships between the principal component scores, acoustic parameters and indoor and outdoor sound categories were investigated. Comfort, Content, and Familiarity were found to be better predicted respectively by loudness N10, level variability LA10-LA90 and sharpness S. The magnitude of linear-mixed-effect model predictions sensibly improved by accounting for sound categories, thus pointing at the importance of semantic meaning of sounds in indoor soundscape assessment. A measurement system is proposed, based on a 2-D space defined by two orthogonal axes, Comfort and Content, and two additional axes, Engagement and Privacy – Control, rotated 45° on the same plane. The model indicates the perceptual constructs to be measured (e.g. in post-occupancy evaluations), the attribute scales to be employed and actions to improve indoor soundscape quality, thus providing a reference for both research and practice.

The implementation of lockdown measures due to the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in wide-ranging social and environmental implications. Among the environmental impacts is a decrease in urban noise levels which has so far been observed at the city scale via noise mapping efforts conducted through the framework of the Environmental Noise Directive. This study aims to understand how lockdown measures have manifested at a local level to better determine how the person-level experience of the urban soundscape has been affected and how these affects differ across urban space typologies. Taking London as a case study, a series of 30-second binaural recordings were taken at 11 locations representing a cross-section of urban public spaces with varying compositions of sound sources during Spring 2019 (pre-lockdown, N = 620) and Spring 2020 (during-lockdown, N = 481). Five acoustic and psychoacoustic metrics (LAeq,LA10,LA90, Loudness, Sharpness) were calculated for each recording and their changes from the pre-lockdown scenario to the lockdown scenario are investigated. Clustering analysis was performed which grouped the locations into 3 types of urban settings based on their acoustic characteristics. An average reduction of 5.4 dB (LAeq) was observed, however significant differences in the degree of reduction were found across the locations, ranging from a 10.7 dB to a 1.2 dB reduction. This study confirms the general reduction in noise levels due to the nationally imposed lockdown measures, identifies trends which vary depending on the urban context and discusses the implications for the limits of urban noise reduction.

Data from an online survey conducted in January 2021 by 464 participants living in London and working from home (WFH) after the COVID-19 outbreak were analysed, focusing on: (1) types of building services at home, (2) perceived sound dominance of building services, and (3) the perception of the indoor acoustic environment (i.e. the indoor soundscape) in relation to two main activities, i.e. WFH and relaxation. Results show that most of participants’ houses had radiators for heating and relied on window opening for ventilation and cooling. Air systems (e.g., HVAC systems) resulted in higher perceived dominance compared to other systems, but only when evaluated for WFH. Sound dominance from building services was in turn related to soundscape evaluation. Spaces with less dominant sounds from building services were more appropriate for both WFH and relaxation, and spaces with fewer dominant sounds were assessed better, but just for WFH. Participants’ evaluations generally did not differ according to building service typology. The presence of air-cooling systems was associated with better perceived sound environments, most likely due to better acoustics conditions in newly built or retrofitted dwellings, more probably equipped with air cooling systems. Preliminary findings point out the importance of carefully considering the dominance of sounds by building services, especially for air systems, in relation to traditional and new uses of residential buildings.

The recent developments in the standardization of soundscape as both a research and engineering field have highlighted the need for models which can predict likely soundscape assessment from objective measurements. Such a need was highlighted during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The unprecedented restrictions in human activity presented a unique opportunity to investigate the urban noise impacts of drastic reductions in traffic noise and human sounds, but simultaneously made it impossible to carry out standard methods of soundscape assessment (i.e., in-person surveys or soundwalks). To address this, a multi-level linear regression model was developed based on an existing database of soundscape surveys and binaural recordings to predict how the soundscapes of 13 locations in London and Venice would have likely been perceived during the lockdowns based on objective measurements. To build this model, a feature selection process was applied to an extended suite of psychoacoustic metrics and a variable characterising the context of each location to identify a minimum set of input features and model structure. This presentation will demonstrate the development of this model, its application in the COVID case study and corresponding results, and will discuss the potential for future applications of a similar predictive soundscape modelling framework.

The core objectives of smart city design are to increase quality of life, enhance efficiency, and move towards the sustainability of cities. While this will involve increased integration of new and smarter technologies into urban design, the implementation of these technologies as applied to acoustics should be made within a design approach which considers these core objectives. Soundscape strategies have a focus on people’s perception and experience, considering the many factors which influence their perception. A recognized demand in the field of soundscape is a new set of metrics that can reliably measure both the acoustic environment and its perception. The European Research Council acknowledged this need and recently funded the Advanced Grant project “Soundscape Indices” (SSID), which aims at providing more advanced tools, compared to conventional dB-based metrics, by taking into account psychological, (psycho)acoustical, neurophysiological, and contextual factors for soundscape assessment. The SSID project will: characterise soundscapes, by capturing acoustic environments and establishing a comprehensive database; identify key factors and their influence on soundscape quality based on the database, by conducting laboratory psychological evaluations, acoustical/psychoacoustic factors analysis; and research the neural and psychophysiological underpinnings of soundscape experience. It is expected that SSID will provide a vital tool in guiding the implementation of the technological infrastructure of smart cities.The core objectives of smart city design are to increase quality of life, enhance efficiency, and move towards the sustainability of cities. While this will involve increased integration of new and smarter technologies into urban design, the implementation of these technologies as applied to acoustics should be made within a design approach which considers these core objectives. Soundscape strategies have a focus on people’s perception and experience, considering the many factors which influence their perception. A recognized demand in the field of soundscape is a new set of metrics that can reliably measure both the acoustic environment and its perception. The European Research Council acknowledged this need and recently funded the Advanced Grant project “Soundscape Indices” (SSID), which aims at providing more advanced tools, compared to conventional dB-based metrics, by taking into account psychological, (psycho)acoustical, neurophysiological, and contextual factors for soundscape assessment. The SSID ...

There is a policy-driven focus, at present, on improving the energy performance of buildings. However, energy-related issues alone do not capture the full impact of buildings on occupants and the wider environment. The performance of a building also includes occupant wellbeing and indoor environmental quality. Specifically, in schools, indoor environmental quality (thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustics) is an important aspect. Additionally, the issue of the ‘performance gap’, generally focused on energy, also affects indoor environmental quality parameters and needs to be addressed holistically. This paper reports on a holistic building performance evaluation covering aspects of energy, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustics. It assesses the performance issues and inter-relationships between energy and indoor environmental quality in a recently built school campus in London. Based on the evidence collated from this case study and supplementary literature, the endemic issues and constraints within the construction industry are explored, such as inappropriate design calculations and resistance to new low-carbon technologies. Further, lessons for improved performance in the design, operation and maintenance of schools are highlighted such as factoring in the changing building use trends during design and the significance of optimal operations and maintenance of building systems for better energy and indoor environmental quality performance. This study shows that if the building design focus primarily remains on energy, unintended consequence of indoor environmental quality underperformance may occur where there are conflicts between energy and indoor environmental quality objectives. An integrated approach to building performance can help address this issue. Practical application: There are often conflicts between energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) objectives in building design and operation. Most building performance evaluations are primarily focused on one set of these performance criteria. This building performance evaluation was done with an integrated energy and IEQ perspective. The study identifies the causes of underperformance in energy and IEQ in a recently built school in London. Some of the findings from this study provide lessons that are relevant across the industry for the delivery of low-carbon and healthy buildings. These lessons include methods to further strengthen the policy frameworks and design protocols along with overall improvements in the processes followed during design, construction and operation of schools and other non-domestic buildings. The paper can also inform building designers, contractors and facility managers about the ways to reduce the performance gap and achieve energy targets without unintended consequences for indoor environment.

The indoor-outdoor connection provided by ventilation openings has been so far a limiting factor in the use of natural ventilation (NV), due to the apparent conflict between ventilation needs and the intrusion of external noise. This limiting factor impedes naturally ventilated buildings meeting the acoustic criteria set by standards and rating protocols, which are reviewed in this paper for residential buildings. The criteria reflect a general effort to minimize noise annoyance by reducing indoor sound levels, typically without a distinction based on a ventilation strategy. Research has developed a number of solutions, discussed here, that try to guarantee ventilation without compromising façade noise insulation, but, currently, none have been adopted on a large scale. This concept paper highlights the main limits of the current approach. First, a fragmented view towards indoor environmental quality has not included consideration of the following acoustic criteria: (i) how buildings are designed and operated to meet multiple needs other than acoustical ones (e.g., ventilation, visual, and cooling needs) and (ii) how people respond to multiple simultaneous environmental factors. Secondly, the lack of a perceptual perspective has led acoustic criteria to neglect the multiple cognitive and behavioral factors impinging on comfort in naturally ventilated houses. Indeed, factors such as the connection with the outside and the sense of control over one’s environment may induce “adaptive acoustic comfort” opportunities that are worth investigating. The mere use of different sound level limits would not be enough to define criteria tailored to the complex user–building interaction that occurs under NV conditions. More holistic and human-centered approaches are required to guarantee not only neutrally but even positively perceived indoor acoustic environments. For this reason, this paper considers this apparent conflict from a soundscape viewpoint, in order to expose still unexplored lines of research. By underpinning a perceptual perspective and by contextualizing it, the indoor soundscape approach provides a framework capable of overcoming the limits of the traditional noise control approach. This could provide the opportunity to foster a wider adoption of NV as a passive design strategy that enhances user health and well-being, while enabling low-cost, and low-energy cooling and ventilation, thereby contributing to current climate change challenges.

A protocol for characterizing urban soundscapes for use in the design of Soundscape Indices (SSID) and general urban research as implemented under the European Research Council (ERC)-funded SSID project is described in detail. The protocol consists of two stages: (1) a Recording Stage to collect audio-visual recordings for further analysis and for use in laboratory experiments, and (2) a Questionnaire Stage to collect in situ soundscape assessments via a questionnaire method paired with acoustic data collection. Key adjustments and improvements to previous methodologies for soundscape characterization have been made to enable the collation of data gathered from research groups around the world. The data collected under this protocol will form a large-scale, international soundscape database.

Background Previous studies, mainly conducted in laboratory experiments, showed there are associations between the perception of acoustic environments (ie, soundscapes, as per the International Organization for Standardization [ISO] 12913-1:2014 definition) and measures of individual health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to confirm these findings in more ecologically realistic settings, by exploring associations between soundscapes and wellbeing via a questionnaire campaign. Methods Study design We performed a socioacoustic field survey with adult volunteers from members of the public who we approached across seven public spaces in London (UK), two in Venice (Italy), and two in Granada (Spain), including parks, urban squares, and commercial streets. Questionnaires gathered individual data about self-reported soundscape experience and wellbeing. Analysis The soundscape assessment protocol relied on the ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, whereas wellbeing measures were based on the WHO- five well-being index (WHO-5). A k-means cluster analysis was performed on the scores of the 15-item soundscape questionnaires, resulting in a two- group stratification of the sample into positive and negative soundscape experiences. The primary outcomes were WHO-5 scores and soundscape experience cluster membership. Findings WHO-5 scores were computed for 825 (97%) of 849 surveyed participants following WHO instructions. An independent- samples t test showed statistically significant differences in WHO-5 scores between the groups who had a positive (n=445) or negative (n=380) soundscape experience ; t(823)=–3·578 ; p

Background Environmental sounds are mostly considered in their noise facet, as psychophysical stressors, leading to adverse health effects. Soundscape research shifts this paradigm to consider sounds as environmental resources. Soundscapes identify “sound environments as perceived by people, in context” according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 12913-1). The aim of this systematic review was to assess associations between soundscapes and positive effects on health. Methods We searched Scopus and PubMed between Jan 1, 1991, and May 31, 2018, for studies that assessed the positive effects of individual responses to urban acoustic environments on individual psychophysical wellbeing, with combinations of the keywords “soundscape” and at least one of “health”, “well-being”, or “Quality of Life”. Reference lists of the retrieved items were manually searched. Inclusion criteria were: publication in peer-reviewed journals and in English; having at least one measure of soundscape dimensions (ISO 12913-1 definition); and including at least one health-related measure. Findings The search returned 130 results; after removing duplicates, two authors screened titles and abstracts and selected 19 articles for further analysis. Seven studies (one UK, one the Netherlands, two Sweden, and three New Zealand) were eventually included, with 2783 participants. All studies included a valence-related soundscape measure (eg, annoyance, pleasantness). Four of them included physiological monitoring and three included self-reported psychological measures. Positive soundscapes were associated with faster stress-recovery physiological processes in laboratory experiments, and better self-reported health conditions in large-scale surveys. Interpretation This is possibly the first systematic review to consider the positive effects of soundscapes on health and well-being. However, because of the limited number of articles and differences in measures across studies, no statistical analysis was performed, and we had to pursue a qualitative approach to data synthesis. Results support the claim that, in contrast with regarding noise only as an environmental stressor, sound perception can enhance the human experience, from a health-related viewpoint, in urban environments. Funding European Research Council (advanced grant no 740696).

This chapter presents the debate on the conceptual framework for the virtual soundwalk as a tool for soundscape assessment for use within urban design tasks and the management of urban open spaces. A hybrid model between a soundwalk in situ and a listening test in laboratory conditions is needed to gain benefits from both methods by simulating links between spatial relations and soundscape changes in actual urban open spaces. This link is vital due to the widely accepted architectural theory background on the urban open space experience. A prototype of a virtual soundwalk tool is described. It was used by the authors during laboratory research conducted in 2014 and 2015 and developed further in 2017. The prototype was based on partial virtual reality reconstruction of visual and aural field recordings. Its potential use is illustrated using a case study of the waterfront promenade in the historical centre of Zadar, Croatia. The future prospects for the method described are debated according to the most recent developments within the field of soundscape research.

Integralni pristup unaprjeđenju gradskih otvorenih prostora i pripadajućega zvučnog okoliša važan je na razini usporednog uključivanja akustičkog motrišta u koncipiranje rješenja gradskog otvorenog prostora i na razini holistički shvaćenog fenomena zvučnog okoliša koji uključuje i nepoželjne (buku) i poželjne zvukove. Rad interpretira razvoj zaštite od buke i postojeće teorijske modele implementacije integralnog pristupa unaprjeđenju gradskih otvorenih prostora i pripadajućega zvučnog okoliša., An integral approach to the enhancement of urban design and a proper soundscape is important on the level of parallel integration of an acoustic concept into the urban design idea and on the level of a holistically conceived phenomenon of sound in an urban open space which includes both unwanted (noise) and wanted sounds. The paper explores the development of noise mitigation and the existent models for the implementation of the integral approach to the enhancement of urban design and a proper sonic environment.

The unprecedented lockdowns resulting from COVID-19 in spring 2020 triggered changes in human activities in public spaces. A predictive modeling approach was developed to characterize the changes in the perception of the sound environment when people could not be surveyed. Building on a database of soundscape questionnaires ( N = 1,136) and binaural recordings ( N = 687) collected in 13 locations across London and Venice during 2019, new recordings ( N = 571) were made in the same locations during the 2020 lockdowns. Using these 30-s-long recordings, linear multilevel models were developed to predict the soundscape pleasantness ([Formula: see text]) and eventfulness ([Formula: see text]) during the lockdown and compare the changes for each location. The performance was above average for comparable models. An online listening study also investigated the change in the sound sources within the spaces. Results indicate (1) human sounds were less dominant and natural sounds more dominant across all locations; (2) contextual information is important for predicting pleasantness but not for eventfulness; (3) perception shifted toward less eventful soundscapes and to more pleasant soundscapes for previously traffic-dominated locations but not for human- and natural-dominated locations. This study demonstrates the usefulness of predictive modeling and the importance of considering contextual information when discussing the impact of sound level reductions on the soundscape.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recently released technical specifications about minimum reporting requirements in soundscape studies and methods for data collection (ISO/TS 12913-2:2018). The document provides an informative annex with three alternative methods: two are based on soundwalks and questionnaires, whilst the third refers to narrative interviews. This study was conducted in accordance with the ISO/TS 12913-2 technical specifications. Its aim was testing whether compatible results could be obtained from the first two methods, during the same data collection session. For this purpose, a soundwalk was organised in a university campus with two groups of students using the two methods separately, while experiencing the same acoustic environments. Results show that for this case study the two methods returned soundscape categorisations that are similar and have strong statistically significant associations (p = .023). In particular, in 7 out of 8 locations, the two methods would categorise positive and negative soundscapes identically. However, since the correspondence was not perfect, further studies should investigate the topic of methodological comparisons in soundscape research, and possibly consider revising or integrating the two methods.

The research focuses on two temporary pavilions designed as acoustic shelters in an urban open space: the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion built in the forecourt of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens in 2011 and the Be Open Sound Portal pavilion built at Trafalgar Square in 2012, both heritage sites in London. Swiss architect Peter Zumthor designed the former pavilion, while the latter was designed by the English firm Arup. It was recognized that the same soundscape design model - an acoustic shelter - was applied in open spaces of a different aural context. Both were dismantled before the time of this research. With an aim to show the types of soundscape from which acoustic shelters in an urban open space could shield, monaural onsite measurements were performed in October 2015 to analyze aural context differences between the immediate surroundings of the two former pavilions. The difference is clearly visible in the frequency of sonic events, their spectral composition and average sound pressure levels.

Kvantitativan pristup zvučnome okolišu prisutan je u urbanističkoj praksi kroz provođenje mjera zaštite od buke. Kvalitativan pristup ostvarivanja akustičke ugode unaprjeđenjem zvučnog okoliša gradskih prostora cjelovitim planiranjem i projektiranjem nije integriran u urbanističko planiranje i pejsažnu arhitekturu. Ovaj rad interpretira razvoj znanstvenog istraživanja zvučnog okoliša s ciljem utvrđivanja njegove moguće uloge u integralnome pristupu stvaranju gradskih prostora i pripadajućega zvučnog okoliša s gledišta urbanizma i pejsažne arhitekture., A quantitative approach to sonic environment in urbanism is included in the implementation of noise protection measures. A qualitative approach to acoustic comfort, which might be achieved by an enhancement of the sonic environment of urban spaces through overall planning and design, is not integrated in urban planning and landscape architecture. This paper explores the development of scientific researches on the sonic environment with the aim to determine its potential role in an integral approach to urban design and a proper sonic environment from the perspective of urbanism and landscape architecture.

Many cities around the world have claimed that the enforcement of lockdown measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the corresponding limitations of human activities led to reduced environmental noise levels. However, noise complaints reported by many local authorities were on the rise soon after the local lockdowns came into force. This research took Greater London in the UK as a case study. The overall aim was examining how noise complaints changed during the first stages of the lockdown implementation, during Spring 2020, both locally and at city scale, and how urban factors may have been influencing them. Noise complaint and urban factor datasets from the Government's publicly available data warehouse were used. The results show that during the COVID-19 lockdown the number of noise complaints increased by 48%, compared with the same period during Spring 2019. In terms of noise sources, complaints about construction (36%) and neighbourhood (50%) noise showed significant increases. Urban factors, including housing and demographic factors, played a more significant role than the actual noise exposure to road and rail traffic noise, as derived from the London noise maps. In detail, the change rate of noise complaints was higher in areas with higher unemployment rates, more residents with no qualifications, and lower house price. It is expected that this study could help government with allocating resources more effectively and achieve a better urban environment., Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image

The present work constitutes the sequel to the analysis of data from an online survey administered to 464 home workers in London in January 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Perceived affective quality of indoor soundscapes has been assessed in the survey through a previously developed model, as the combination of two perceptual dimensions, one related to comfort (a comfortable – annoying continuum) and the other to content (a full of content – empty continuum). Part I of the study reported on differences in comfort, content, and soundscape appropriateness based on the activity performed at home during the lockdown, i.e. working from home (WFH) and relaxation. Moreover, associations between soundscape dimensions and psychological well-being have been highlighted. Part II of the study deals with the exploration of the influences of several acoustical, building, urban and person-related factors on soundscape dimensions and well-being. A mixed-method approach has been adopted by combining multivariate regression of questionnaire scores with the qualitative analysis of spontaneous descriptions given by respondents. Results showed that several sound sources, urban features, housing characteristics, working modes and demographic factors can influence (positively and negatively) soundscape dimensions differently depending on the task at hand. Notably, the perceived dominance of neighbours’ noises during relaxation, moderated by noise sensitivity, and the number of people at home were common factors negatively affecting both comfort and well-being, that partially explained the association between comfortable indoor soundscapes and better mental health. The discussion points out the importance of considering the different impacts that acoustical factors (e.g. sound typology), building (e.g., house size), urban (e.g., availability of a quiet side), situational (e.g., number of people at home), and person-related factors (e.g., noise sensitivity) can provide on building occupants depending on the specific activity people are engaged with at home and the opportunities to foster people’s well-being through building, urban and acoustic design.