A Study of the Effects of Historical Block Context on Soundscape Perception

Abstract

This study aims to explore the influence of spatial functional differences on the overall relationship between soundscape and visual landscape in the context of historical blocks and then propose design guidelines for audiovisual elements. Audiovisual stimulus materials were collected from 11 representative locations in typical urban historical blocks along the southeast coast of China and classified into residential, cultural leisure, and commercial spaces based on their primary function, activity, and visual environment characteristics. An evaluation environment was created in the laboratory using virtual reality technology, and a subjective evaluation questionnaire was administered to 71 volunteers regarding the perception of audiovisual elements and the evaluation of the overall environment. Structural equation modeling was used to elucidate the relationships between sound source perception, soundscape perception, visual landscape satisfaction, and overall harmony of the environment and to compare the effects of functional differences at different locations on the overall relationships. The results show significant differences in the types of perceived sound sources at different functional locations, which makes the sound sources affecting soundscape perception and visual landscape satisfaction different. Residential space is mainly affected by artificial sound and mechanical noise; in cultural and leisure spaces, all three types of sound sources have a significant impact, and only natural sound has enhanced subjective perception; the impact of artificial sound in commercial space is crucial. In addition, visual landscape satisfaction should be prioritized over soundscape pleasure to enhance the overall harmony of the environment. In residential and commercial spaces, reducing artificial and mechanical noise can effectively enhance the harmony of the environment; in cultural and leisure areas, reducing artificial sounds and increasing natural sounds or historical landscape elements can enhance the overall harmony of the environment. The results of this paper provide empirical evidence for understanding the overall relationship between soundscape factors in urban contexts and suggest that place function should be considered an important context when designing soundscapes.

A Study on Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Spatial Dependence of Sound Source Perception in Fuzhou Historical and Cultural Districts

“…This phenomenon also reflects the similarity of human activities and the natural environment per space unit with the surrounding space [35]. The sound source harmony of folk activity sound (3.244) shows a highly significant clustering pattern, probably because folk event sounds are mainly generated by music played in temples and ancestral halls, performances of folk events, etc., which has less spatial variability within the scenic area [53]. Although the sound source harmony of mechanical sound (0.205) shows an aggregation pattern, its z-score (1.961) was smaller than that of biological sound, human activity sound, and folk activity sound, and considering that most of the sampling points set up at the edge of the area were located at the border between the Three Square and Seven Alleys and the city traffic, the mechanical sound harmony will be affected by the city traffic sound at the edge area, but the traffic sound inside the space is not affected much [54].…”