Perceived Occurrences of Soundscape Influencing Pleasantness in Urban Forests: A Comparison of Broad-Leaved and Coniferous Forests

Xin-Chen Hong, Zhi-Peng Zhu, Jiang Liu, Geng De-Hui, Guang-Yu Wang and Si-Ren Lan
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Xin-Chen Hong: School of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Zhi-Peng Zhu: School of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jiang Liu: School of Architecture, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Geng De-Hui: Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 0B2, Canada
Guang-Yu Wang: Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 0B2, Canada
Si-Ren Lan: School of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: Perceived occurrences of soundscape reflect cognitive responses to perceived soundscapes. This research focuses on the relationship between perceived occurrences and pleasantness of soundscape in urban forests, and models these parameters. Soundscape information was gathered at 60 observation sites in urban forests, including perceived occurrences of soundscape (POS), pleasantness of perceived soundscape in urban forests (PSUF), and equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level (L Aeq ). Twelve trained participants were exposed to the soundscape at each site for five minutes and filled out a questionnaire about POS and PSUF. The weight-ratio of perceived occurrences of soundscape (WPOS) was obtained from the POS. Pearson’s correlation coefficients and Stevens’ power law were conducted to test the applicability of the perceived occurrences of soundscape in psychophysical models. Results show that there is an interaction between the WPOS and PSUF in urban forests, and that psychophysical models are able to assess pleasantness of perceived soundscapes in urban forests. Findings show that pleasantness trends of geophony and biophony in broad-leaved forests and those in coniferous forests are opposite when the L Aeq is increasing. Furthermore, by combining the WPOS, PSUF, and L Aeq , the models were able to link the PSUF of geophony, biophony, anthrophony, and total soundscape in urban forests. Overall, results revealed that perceived occurrences of soundscape play a key role in linking the pleasantness of geophony, biophony, and anthrophony in urban forests.

Keywords: soundscape; pleasantness; occurrences; urban forests (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 complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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