Analysis of the perception and representation of sonic public spaces through on site survey, acoustic indicators and in-depth interviews

Sound perception in urban public spaces, a current issue in urban planning, is the topic of this study. The research work is based on a qualitative survey conducted among 29 people. Three groups of people were asked to rate 3 urban squares during two seasons. So, the survey is based on 174 questionnaires, 18 focus groups performed in situ , followed by 29 individual in-depth interviews, including 145 sonic mind maps. This allows us to determine some parameters which influence the perception of environmental sounds. The results indicate a link between visual parameters and the perception of sounds. Representative acoustic indicators of the appraisal of the sonic ambiance and the sound level are then presented. The analysis of sonic mind maps reveals, among other things, that vegetation is associated to the ideal sonic ambiance of a square. Finally, environmental sound representations associated to urban typologies are analyzed. The potential uses of these results by urban planners for improving the quality of urban places are then discussed.