Soundtracking the Public Space: Outcomes of the Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention

Daniel Steele, Edda Bild, Cynthia Tarlao and Catherine Guastavino
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Daniel Steele: School of Information Studies and CIRMMT, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
Edda Bild: Department of Geography, Planning and International Development, University of Amsterdam, 1018WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cynthia Tarlao: School of Information Studies and CIRMMT, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
Catherine Guastavino: School of Information Studies and CIRMMT, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-38

Abstract: Decades of research support the idea that striving for lower sound levels is the cornerstone of protecting urban public health. Growing insight on urban soundscapes, however, highlights a more complex role of sound in public spaces, mediated by context, and the potential of soundscape interventions to contribute to the urban experience. We discuss Musikiosk, an unsupervised installation allowing users to play audio content from their own devices over publicly provided speakers. Deployed in the gazebo of a pocket park in Montreal (Parc du Portugal), in the summer of 2015, its effects over the quality of the public urban experience of park users were researched using a mixed methods approach, combining questionnaires, interviews, behavioral observations, and acoustic monitoring, as well as public outreach activities. An integrated analysis of results revealed positive outcomes both at the individual level (in terms of soundscape evaluations and mood benefits) and at the social level (in terms of increased interaction and lingering behaviors). The park was perceived as more pleasant and convivial for both users and non-users, and the perceived soundscape calmness and appropriateness were not affected. Musikiosk animated an underused section of the park without displacing existing users while promoting increased interaction and sharing, particularly of music. It also led to a strategy for interacting with both residents and city decision-makers on matters related to urban sound.

Keywords: Musikiosk; soundscape; sound perception; soundscape intervention; democratic soundscape installation; quality of the urban public experience; mixed methods study; pocket park; urban sound planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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