The Effect of Soundscapes and Lightscapes on the Perception of Safety and Social Presence Analyzed in a Laboratory Experiment

Cristina Calleri, Arianna Astolfi, Anna Pellegrino, Francesco Aletta, Louena Shtrepi, Elena Bo, Martina Di Stefano and Paola Orecchia
Additional contact information
Cristina Calleri: Department of Architecture and Design, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Arianna Astolfi: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Anna Pellegrino: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Francesco Aletta: Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, London WC1H 0NN, UK
Louena Shtrepi: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Elena Bo: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Martina Di Stefano: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Paola Orecchia: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: The present study evaluates the effect of soundscape and lightscape variations on the perceived safety and perceived social presence in a pedestrian area through laboratory experiments. Thirty-one participants were presented with nine different virtual scenarios, in which the same underpass was reproduced under different soundscape and lightscape conditions. The participants were asked to assess each scenario considering 10 items related to perceived safety and perceived social presence. A principal component analysis allowed the 10 items to be reduced to two principal components, namely “perceived safety” and “perceived social presence”. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA analysis was conducted to assess the effect of modifications of both the soundscape and lightscape on the two components. The obtained results showed that the soundscape had an effect on both the perceived safety ( p < 0.05) and perceived social presence ( p < 0.05), while the lightscape variations implemented in this experiment only had a statistically significant effect on the latter ( p < 0.05). The results of such studies may be of interest for public design and management as they may be conducted by means of non-intrusive and cost-effective techniques.

Keywords: soundscape; lightscape; urban environment; perceptive tests; safety; social presence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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