Soundscapes are affected by several factors and one of them is the activities done in the space concerned. People expect different acoustic environments for different activities, but there is no specific guidance for designing an ideal acoustic environment for different activities. This study aimed to identify ideal urban acoustic environments for four different activities: reading, relaxing, talking with friends, and playing with children. The ideal acoustic environment was evaluated using the soundscape composition concept. The concept was implemented by an acoustic environment simulator that enabled the respondents to compose their ideal acoustic environment and identify the perception of their composition. The sound source selection and perception rating were analyzed to understand the ideal acoustic environment and perception for different activities. This study identified the ideal soundscapes for four different activities and the perception expected to be present in the ideal environments for those activities. The result can be beneficial as guidance for urban soundscape design.

The concept of soundscape aims to provide a more holistic understanding of the acoustic environment by taking several aspects into account, such as human perception, the acoustic environment and the context of the space. The soundscape concept is primarily concerned with the human experience and is considered more effective to access the acoustic quality of urban areas than traditional sound measurement. Soundscape analysis was used in this study to determine the relationship between various activities occurring in urban areas and their associated sound sources. This relationship can be used as design guidance for urban soundscape. The interaction was analyzed using the soundscape expectation approach, which is based on people’s memories of urban areas. The participants of this study were requested to compose an ideal acoustic environment according to their expectation for doing four activities: reading, relaxing, talking with friends, and playing with children. According to the data of the participants’ composition there is no significant difference in the overall sound levels between various activities. As a result, the appropriate acoustic environment cannot be determined solely based on the overall sound level. Individuals have varying expectations of sound sources when engaging in various activities.