Conference_programme: 20.2 - Perception based models of acoustic environment
Lecture: Perception and implementation of quiet areas - Soundscape assets for environmental goodwill in Sweden
Author(s): Mossberg Frans, Cerwén Gunnar
Summary:
One of the aims behind the Sound Environment Centre at Lund University is to initiate research focusing on human perception of soundscape. Closely related are public attitudes to the concept of ”quiet areas”. The notion of quiet areas has been given increased attention within the EU in recent years. In 2002, the EU END directive stipulated that member states should map existing quiet areas, as well as formulate strategies to keep them quiet. Quiet areas could thus play an important role to balance densified urban development in the future, by ensuring access to relative quietness and associated health benefits.\nThe present paper reports on a recent study in Sweden that tried to increase the understanding for how the notion of quiet areas is implemented in Swedish municipalities. The study, initiated by the Sound Environment Center in 2017, was carried out in two steps. First, a short digital questionnaire was sent out to all 290 municipalities in Sweden. This gave an overview of the general situation and highlighted interesting and comprehensive initiatives that were followed up and studied further.\nOverall, the study indicates that around half of Sweden’s municipalities address quiet areas in official documents. The number of initiatives has grown rapidly in recent years, but this does not seem to be directly related to the END directive. In fact, 64% of comprehensive initiatives were referred to as being local while only 4% related to the EU directive. The study additionally highlights a number of considerations and examples of how quiet areas are approached in Sweden today. As a general tendency, the study shows that Sweden has come a long way in terms of identifying and mapping quiet areas, but there are fewer examples of attempts to protect, maintain and market them. \n
Corresponding author
Name: Dr Frans Mossberg
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Country: Sweden
