Going beyond Quietness: Determining the Emotionally Restorative Effect of Acoustic Environments in Urban Open Public Spaces

Abstract

The capacity of natural settings to promote psychological restoration has attracted increasing research attention, especially with regards to the visual dimension. However, there is a need to extend these studies to urban settings, such as squares, parks or gardens, due to the global trend towards urbanisation, and to integrate the dimension of sound into landscape. Such was the main aim of this study, in which 53 participants assessed four public spaces in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) as part of the CITI-SENSE Project (137 observations were used for analysis). A smartphone application was used to simultaneously collect objective and subjective data. The results show that at the end of the urban environmental experience, there was a statistically significant reduction in negative emotions and perceived stress, and a slight increase in positive emotions. Emotional restoration was mainly associated with prior emotional states, but also with global environmental comfort and acoustic comfort. The soundscape characteristics that contributed to greater emotional restoration and a reduction in perceived stress were pleasantness, calm, fun and naturalness. Therefore, in agreement with previous research, the findings of the present study indicate that besides contributing to the quietness of the urban environment, the urban soundscape can promote psychological restoration in users of these spaces.

The Influence of Audio-Visual Interactions on Psychological Responses of Young People in Urban Green Areas: A Case Study in Two Parks in China

“…Audio-visual experiences were also positively correlated with psychological responses ( p < 0.05) with coefficient R ranging from 0.665–0.873 in Music Park. It can be concluded that, with audio-visual comfort increasing, the level of psychological responses, including CD, RA, EF, and FD, also increased, which was consistent with a recent research result in Spain [17].…”

“…In recent years, some studies have assessed the psychological recovery potential of soundscapes [8,13,14,15]. They focused on the relationship between the acoustic environment and psychological responses [16,17] and they identified the sound sources that promoted positive emotions (stress recovery) [13,18]. According to a study by Daniel Shepherd et al, the mean scores of psychological well-being described by the WHO’s short-form quality of life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) perceived by residents in quiet areas were higher than in noisy areas [19].…”

The Garden and Landscape as an Interdisciplinary Resource Between Experimental Science and Artistic–Musical Expression: Analysis of Competence Development in Student Teachers

“…These results are similar to those observed by Axelsson et al (2010) . According to Herranz-Pascual et al (2019) , the characteristics of the soundscape that contribute to well-being and the reduction of perceived stress are calm and tranquil. In this way, a positive affective response to natural open environments allows the individual to recover from fatigue and negative emotional states ( Ulrich, 1981 ).…”

Promoting Healthy and Supportive Acoustic Environments: Going beyond the Quietness

“…It is fair to assume that non-quiet spaces might still have the potential to promote positive user experiences of an urban environment, or that quietness cab not necessarily always match less "loud" acoustic environments. Herranz-Pascual and colleagues [12] indeed suggest that lively and vibrant urban soundscapes may also enhance people's restoration. Aletta and Kang [13] propose a model to predict urban "vibrancy" using a soundscape approach.…”