Ten questions on the soundscapes of the built environment

Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift from noise control policies towards a new multidisciplinary approach as it involves not only physical measurements but also the cooperation of humanity and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Building and environment 2016-11, Vol.108, p.284-294
Main Authors: Kang, Jian, Aletta, Francesco, Gjestland, Truls T., Brown, Lex A., Botteldooren, Dick, Schulte-Fortkamp, Brigitte, Lercher, Peter, van Kamp, Irene, Genuit, Klaus, Fiebig, André, Bento Coelho, J. Luis, Maffei, Luigi, Lavia, Lisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic environment
Acoustic noise
Background noise
Cooperation
Culture
Design engineering
Environmental noise
Noise control
Quality of life
Soundscape
Urban environments
Urban sound planning
Wastes
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Summary:Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift from noise control policies towards a new multidisciplinary approach as it involves not only physical measurements but also the cooperation of humanity and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, with more focus on how people actually experience the acoustic environments; and it considers environmental sounds as a 'resource' rather than a 'waste'. The ten questions presented in this paper range from the very basic definitions underlying the emerging soundscape science, to more applied topics about how to use soundscape as a design approach for the planning and management of the built environments. Although significant research activity has been conducted so far, there is still a need to systematically provide the underpinning science and practical guidance in soundscaping. Thus, the last question aims to identify the most crucial gaps in soundscape research and set the agenda for future advancements in the field. •Soundscape definitions are provided and discussed.•Methods for soundscape data collection and analysis are presented.•Future challenges to be addressed by soundscape research are identified.
ISSN:0360-1323
1873-684X
DOI:10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.08.011