A Tale of Three Misters: The Effect of Water Features on Soundscape Assessments in a Montreal Public Space.

ABSTRACT: The acoustic environments of small, central urban parks are often dominated by traffic sounds. Water sounds can be used to mitigate the negative impacts of unwanted sounds through masking. Studies comparing the effects of different water sounds are typically conducted using recordings in laboratory settings where ecological validity is limited. An urban redesign project in Montreal took the innovative approach of trying three sequential temporary designs of a new public square, each of which included a distinct water feature that produced a lightly-audible mist. Here we report on a field experiment evaluating the effect of the water feature in each of the three designs. Respondents (n = 274) evaluated their experience with the three different designs using questionnaires including s

SUBMITTER: Trudeau C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7723869 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature