Advancing the concepts of soundscapes and soundscape planning

Abstract

The role and application of the concept of the soundscape, vis-à-vis that of environmental noise management, needs elaboration. In noise control, sound is a waste product, managed to reduce the immision of sounds that cause human discomfort. The soundscape approach, by contrast, considers the acoustic environment as a resource, focussing on sounds people want, or prefer. Quiet is not a core requirement for acoustic preference in the outdoor acoustic environment. Core requirements include that soundscape and landscape are congruent, and that wanted sounds in a place are dominant over, or not masked by, unwanted sounds. Soundscape design, planning and management, based on this principle, are a useful augmentation to environmental noise management approaches, expanding the scope of application of the tools of acoustic specialists.