The Rhythm of the Urban Soundscape

Abstract

The influence of noise on the quality of the urban living environment has traditionally been studied focusing on negative effects on man, such as noise annoyance and sleep disturbance. Recently a more holistic approach, including positive and negative aspects as well as non-residential functions of the urban environment, has gained renewed interest. The label “urban soundscape” is often used to refer to this approach. Research towards selection and quantification of the acoustic descriptors of the urban soundscape is, however, still in an early stage. This paper draws on the analogy with music and self-organization to propose an indicator for studying the temporal structure of the urban soundscape. Applicability is illustrated by drawing a map of music-likeness of the soundscape in an urban area.