Comparison of Methodological Approaches for Investigating Urban Parks Soundscape Restoration: A Case Study of Curitiba, Brazil

Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/ReportConference contributionContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Margret Engel - , Chair of Acoustics and Haptics (Author)
  • Karoline Farias Koloszuki Maciel - , Federal University of Pelotas (Author)
  • Bani Szeremeta - , Paraná State Department of Education (Author)
  • Paulo Henrique Trombetta Zannin - , Universidade Federal do Paraná (Author)

Abstract

In recent years, numerous studies have emphasized the crucial role of natural sounds in alleviating mental and emotional stress, as well as in restoring cognitive functions. Scientific literature has also underscored the restorative benefits of natural spaces and urban parks, leading to the development of best practice guidelines and legislation for their management. This study aims to compare different methodological approaches for assessing restorative qualities within the soundscapes of urban parks and to track changes over time. For the assessment, two evaluation methods were chosen: Attention Restoration Theory (ART), proposed by Kaplan & Kaplan [1], and the Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale (PRSS), introduced by Payne [2]. The data for this study were collected over two campaigns (2012 and 2021) through interviews with visitors at the Municipal Botanical Garden and Bacacheri Park, both located in Curitiba, Brazil. A Mann-Whitney U test was employed as a statistical analysis to compare non-parametric samples.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 11th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum / EuroNoise 2025
EditorsDaniel de la Prida, Jaime Ramis, María Machimbarrena
Place of PublicationMálaga
Pages4661-4665
Number of pages5
ISBN (electronic)978-84-87985-35-5
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesProceedings of Forum Acusticum
ISSN2221-3767

Conference

Title11th EAA Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering
Abbreviated titleForum Acusticum - Euronoise 2025
Conference number11
Descriptionjoint with the XLVI Spanish Acoustic Conference TECNIACUSTICA 2025
Duration23 - 26 June 2025
Website
Degree of recognitionInternational event
LocationFYCMA | Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga
CityMálaga
CountrySpain

Keywords

Keywords

  • Soundscape, Urban parks, Restorative Soundscape