Soundscapes in Public Open Spaces: The Case of Washington Square Park

Chathurthi De Silva (New Jersey Institute of Technology)

When working to improve cities, it is rare for planners and designers to consider the sensory aspects of the environment. Often they take an ocularcentric approach considering only what can be seen, often overlooking aspects of sound. Whenever they do take sound into account, they relegate it to a problem that requires regulation or control. But not all sounds heard in cities are noise; many may be pleasurable, others neither pleasurable nor problematic. Despite the prevalence of sound in cities, there is little documentation of what these sounds are and what effects they have on people. This study documents the soundscapes in Washington Square Park and maps them with people's activities. Consequently, the study has two objectives. First, to study the soundscapes, that is to determine the sounds in different areas of the park; and to identify the loudest and quietest areas. Second, to study the activities in the park and relate them to sounds, that is to see in what areas of the park people gather; what activities people engage in; and to determine whether occupancy rates vary by sound level. These were documented using intensive listening, accompanied by written notes, audio recordings, video recordings, and photographs. The findings show the different sounds heard as well as the densities of users in various areas of the park. The study reveals the loudest and quietest areas, the types of sounds prevalent, and the activities people engage in. A surprising finding is that the loudest area of the park had a sound level of 83.5 dB, which was caused by natural sounds, a finding that is contrary to most other soundscape studies. The study further revealed a negative correlation between the sound levels and the densities of users.