Ten questions on the soundscapes of the built environment

Publication date: 1 November 2016
Source:Building and Environment, Volume 108
Author(s): Jian Kang, Francesco Aletta, Truls T. Gjestland, Lex A. Brown, Dick Botteldooren, Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp, Peter Lercher, Irene van Kamp, Klaus Genuit, André Fiebig, J. Luis Bento Coelho, Luigi Maffei, Lisa Lavia
Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift from noise control policies towards a new multidisciplinary approach as it involves not only physical measurements but also the cooperation of humanity and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, with more focus on how people actually experience the acoustic environments; and it considers environmental sounds as a 'resource' rather than a 'waste'. The ten questions presented in this paper range from the very basic definitions underlying the emerging soundscape science, to more applied topics about how to use soundscape as a design approach for the planning and management of the built environments. Although significant research activity has been conducted so far, there is still a need to systematically provide the underpinning science and practical guidance in soundscaping. Thus, the last question aims to identify the most crucial gaps in soundscape research and set the agenda for future advancements in the field.