Soundscape analysis : a case study of the South Fairfield soundscape
Date
1982
Authors
Mastin, Jane Franklin
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Abstract
This thesis involves a field study of a residential soundscape. It adopts an approach which is distinctive from the traditional noise study, treating the acoustic environment as a set of informative elements rather than as a single measurable object.
Initially a monitoring procedure is used to provide a description of the physical presence of the soundscape. A questionnaire is distributed for the second stage of the research to obtain an understanding of the residents' perception of the study area soundscape.
The first stage, the objective analysis, revealed an environment rich with acoustical information and identified patterns in the occurrence of recorded sounds. The subjective analysis found the residents generally held a favourable impression of soundscape quality and the questionnaire responses indicated a greater awareness of ground sounds than figure sounds. The ground sounds were also the most frequently mentioned sources of information.
This study provides evidence of the diversity of information available in the acoustic environment and it stresses the importance of studying the physical presence of the soundscape together with an investigation of how it is perceived and understood.