TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of activity-related contexts on individual sound exposures
T2 - A time–geographic approach to soundscape studies
AU - Kou, Lirong
AU - Kwan, Mei Po
AU - Chai, Yanwei
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 41529101, 41571144). In addition, Lirong Kou was supported by UIUC Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grant and Ferber and Sudman Dissertation Awards while conducting this research. Mei-Po Kwan was supported by a grant from the Research Committee on Research Sustainability of Major RGC Funding Schemes of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Noise is an ever-growing problem in cities. Conventional noise mitigation approaches may not necessarily control noise pollution, since whether a sound is perceived as noise is largely influenced by its specific contexts. Based on an activity-centric framework, this study examines the effects of activity-related contexts and measured sound levels based on individuals’ sound evaluations as they undertake daily activities at different geographic locations and times. Data for the study were collected from 33 participants in Chicago (USA) using Global Positioning System-equipped mobile phones, portable sound sensors, and activity diaries. Multilevel logistic modeling was used to examine the relationships among measured sound levels, sound evaluations, and activity-related contexts for each recorded activity of the participants. The results indicate that activity-related contexts significantly influence individuals’ sound evaluations as they perform their daily activities. When activity-related contexts are taken into account, the measured sound levels that individuals experienced when performing an activity are no longer significant in influencing their sound evaluations. These results support the notion that sound is not only a physical feature but also a socio-psychological construct. It is crucial to adopt a human-centric and context-aware approach in urban planning through understanding the circumstances in which a sound is perceived as noise. Such an approach would help improve sound-related urban environments and construct livable and healthy cities.
AB - Noise is an ever-growing problem in cities. Conventional noise mitigation approaches may not necessarily control noise pollution, since whether a sound is perceived as noise is largely influenced by its specific contexts. Based on an activity-centric framework, this study examines the effects of activity-related contexts and measured sound levels based on individuals’ sound evaluations as they undertake daily activities at different geographic locations and times. Data for the study were collected from 33 participants in Chicago (USA) using Global Positioning System-equipped mobile phones, portable sound sensors, and activity diaries. Multilevel logistic modeling was used to examine the relationships among measured sound levels, sound evaluations, and activity-related contexts for each recorded activity of the participants. The results indicate that activity-related contexts significantly influence individuals’ sound evaluations as they perform their daily activities. When activity-related contexts are taken into account, the measured sound levels that individuals experienced when performing an activity are no longer significant in influencing their sound evaluations. These results support the notion that sound is not only a physical feature but also a socio-psychological construct. It is crucial to adopt a human-centric and context-aware approach in urban planning through understanding the circumstances in which a sound is perceived as noise. Such an approach would help improve sound-related urban environments and construct livable and healthy cities.
KW - Sound measurement
KW - activity-centric framework
KW - sound evaluation
KW - the soundscape approach
KW - urban environments
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U2 - 10.1177/2399808320965243
DO - 10.1177/2399808320965243
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85092768740
VL - 48
SP - 2073
EP - 2092
JO - Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science
JF - Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science
SN - 2399-8083
IS - 7
ER -