Assessing the relationships between soundscape and landscape in urban environment

Abstract

This study aims to explore the relationships among soundscape factors in various urban contexts. On-site surveys for urban soundscape were conducted in the twenty-five locations including commercial, residential, business and recreational areas. Seven soundscape factors, namely, sound sources, pleasantness and eventfulness of soundscape, visual quality, and harmoniousness of environment were constructed and relationships among the factors were explored using structural equation model approach. The results showed that dominant factors affecting soundscape perceptions were different in functions of places. Sound from human activities was found to be an important factor in enhancing the appropriateness of the environment in a commercial area. Traffic noise was a dominant construct decreasing the pleasantness of soundscape in residential and business areas. In the recreational areas, human sounds from leisure activities played critical role to design relevant soundscape These findings indicate that both improving sound and visual quality on the consideration of spatial context are important in constructing relevant soundscapes.