Conference_programme: 20.2 - Perception based models of acoustic environment

Lecture: Perceived local environmental acoustic quality: benchmarking methods of measurement and analysis

Author(s): Van Kamp Irene, Bild Edda, Van Den Bosch Kirsten, Derksen Thomas, Zentschnig Renate, Huijsman Michiel

Summary:
Community response to noise is usually measured by means of the standard ISO question of annoyance or estimated based on generalized dose effect curves. This is usually done at relatively large-scale levels around main soundsources or to measure the effectiveness of noise reduction interventions. However, the methods commonly used fail to grasp the complexity of human perception and evaluation of sounds, in context. The soundscape approach, on the other hand, has been employed to address aspects of acoustic quality at a much lower scale level ( e.g. urban parks or squares). Nonetheless, developing strategies that can measure acoustic perception in a meaningful manner for urban policy purposes, for example in relation to urban design or urban health and wellbeing is still a challenge. Contending that a simple annoyance or soundscape index is insufficient to address the aforementioned challenge, this paper proposes a human-centered methodology, tested in a small urban square in Amsterdam (Mr. Visserplein), that can be used to measure (and map) the acoustic quality of a public space. We combined in-depth interviews and soundwalks with residents and frequent users of the space, with noise maps, annoyance and soundscape measures as well as automatically generated linguistic descriptions of the acoustic environment based on sound event detection and classification performed on audio recordings made at the Mr. Visserplein. Taking a set of concrete questions from policymakers as a point of departure, we compared the outcomes of the different methods to determine the added value of each of them. We aim to use the knowledge collected in this project to improve existing methods of measuring perception of noise and sound in general, and explore strategies for integrating different sound-related quantitative and qualitative data for a more situated understanding of sound perception, that can in turn lead to effective policies and interventions.

Corresponding author

Name: Dr Irene van Kamp

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Country: Netherlands