The effects of neighborhood views containing multiple environmental features on road traffic noise perception at dwellings

Leung, T. M.; Xu, Jing; Chau, Chi Kwan; Tang, Shiu Keung; Pun-Cheng, Lilian S.C.

doi:10.1121/1.4979336

“…Consistently, Van Renterghem and Botteldooren (2016) reported that the extent to which vegetation is visible through the living room window was a strong predictor of self-reported noise annoyance among residents with high exposure to traffic noise. Leung et al (2017) found that views of the sea, urban river, or greenery could reduce the probability of invoking a high noise annoyance response from residents living in high-rise buildings, while views of a noise barrier could increase the probability. Views of greenery had a stronger noise moderation capability than views of the sea or urban river.…”

Section: Auditory and Visual Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons (v0.1)"

2019

0

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Many studies have explored the effects of auditory and visual stimuli on the perception of an environment. However, there is a lack of investigations examining direct behavioral responses to noise in specific environments. In this study, a behavioral variable, walking speed, was analyzed, as a response to the sounds and visual features of a specific environment. The study examined the effects of birdsongs compared to traffic noise on walking speed in a real outdoor urban environment. It was supposed that the interaction of audition and vision in the perception of an environment may also be shaped by the perceived congruence of the visual and auditory features of the environment. The participants (N = 87 and N = 65), young university students, walked along a 1.8-km urban route. They listened to a soundtrack of crowded city noise or birdsongs, or they walked in the real outdoor environment without listening to any acoustic stimuli. To investigate the effect of the congruence between acoustic and visual stimuli, the experiment was conducted in two different seasons (fall and spring). The results did not show significant differences between the crowded city noise condition and the real outdoor condition. Listening to the soundtrack with birdsongs decreased walking speed, but this effect was significant only in the experiment conducted in spring. These findings can be explained in terms of the congruence between the sounds and the visual environment. The findings raise questions regarding the restorative function of urban greenery during different seasons.

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“…More importantly, in-situ studies show similar positive effects of visible green. In two separate studies, one in Belgium 38 and one in Hong-Kong 32 , the sight of vegetation from within a dwelling decreased the level of self-reported noise annoyance by residents exposed to traffic noise.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Studies on the effects of vegetation on sound appraisal range from research on the impact of landscapes and surroundings 31,32 , to the role of trees and vegetation on walls 13 , fences and (noise) barriers 33 . Traditionally, projections and images combined with headphones or speakers were used, whereas now integral technologies like virtual reality (VR) have become more common 16,34 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the soundscape quality of urban areas exposed to aircraft noise by adding moving water and vegetation

Lugten

¹

,

Karacaoglu

²

,

White

³

et al. 2018

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Research shows that the sight of trees and the sound of moving water improve the soundscape quality of outdoor spaces exposed to road traffic noise. Effects are attributed to non-energetic masking, visual attentional distortion and congruence between sight and hearing. However, there is no literature on such effects for aircraft noise. Aircraft noise varies from other traffic sources, i.e. in terms temporal variability, duration and spectral composition, complicating the application of findings without further research. In a VR experiment reported in this article, participants were asked to rate scenarios with different sound levels of flyovers, urban typologies, vegetation and/ or water features. The results showed a significant improvement of the soundscape quality when 1) vegetation and 2) moving water were present, and especially when 3) vegetation and moving water were presented simultaneously, especially for residential areas in terms of the relative change. Moving water also reduced the saliency of aircraft flyovers significantly, changing the constellation of fore-and background sounds. Moving water raised the perceived audibility of the most dominant sound source too, which could be attributed to non-energetic masking effects. Our findings indicate that soundscape strategies can complement noise abatement in areas prone to aircraft noise.

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“…Consistently, Van Renterghem & Botteldooren (2016) reported that the extent to which vegetation is visible through the living room window was a strong predictor of self-reported noise annoyance among residents with high exposure to traffic noise. Leung et al (2017) found that views of the sea, urban river, or greenery could reduce the probability of invoking a high noise annoyance response from residents living in high-rise buildings, while views of a noise barrier could increase the probability. Views of greenery had a stronger noise moderation capability than views of the sea or urban river.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons

Franěk

¹

,

Režný

²

,

Šefara

³

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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Many studies have explored the effects of auditory and visual stimuli on the perception of an environment. However, there is a lack of investigations examining direct behavioral responses to noise in specific environments. In this study, a behavioral variable, walking speed, was analyzed, as a response to the sounds and visual features of a specific environment. The study examined the effects of birdsongs compared to traffic noise on walking speed in a real outdoor urban environment. It was supposed that the interaction of audition and vision in the perception of an environment may also be shaped by the perceived congruence of the visual and auditory features of the environment. The participants (N = 87 and N = 65), young university students, walked along a 1.8-km urban route. They listened to a soundtrack of crowded city noise or birdsongs, or they walked in the real outdoor environment without listening to any acoustic stimuli. To investigate the effect of the congruence between acoustic and visual stimuli, the experiment was conducted in two different seasons (fall and spring). The results did not show significant differences between the crowded city noise condition and the real outdoor condition. Listening to the soundtrack with birdsongs decreased walking speed, but this effect was significant only in the experiment conducted in spring. These findings can be explained in terms of the congruence between the sounds and the visual environment. The findings raise questions regarding the restorative function of urban greenery during different seasons.

show abstract

The effects of neighborhood views containing multiple environmental features on road traffic noise perception at dwellings

Cited by 33 publications

References 40 publications

Peer Review #2 of "Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons (v0.1)"

Peer Review #2 of "Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons (v0.1)"

Improving the soundscape quality of urban areas exposed to aircraft noise by adding moving water and vegetation

Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons

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