Salutary Soundscapes: Experiential Qualities and Health Benefits in Quiet Areas

Noise is recognized as one of the main environmental challenges globally, with major impact on experience and health. International agencies and policymakers have promoted “quiet areas” as a means to counteract noise. Previous research has highlighted the potential of quiet areas to support health, but also pointed to knowledge gaps and ambiguities associated with the broadly defined concept.

In order to safeguard proper implementation, there is a need to further uncover how quiet areas influence health.The overall purpose of the present project is to increase the understanding of experienced qualities in quiet areas and evaluate the associated health benefits. Initiatives for quiet areas in Sweden are mapped and health effects studied in situ using measurement of visitors´ physiological responses combined with interviews.

The results are expected to provide a deeper understanding for the qualities in quiet areas that influence health, particularly in terms of sound source combinations, multisensory experiences and contextual factors. The project will also contribute with an increased understanding of how noise disturbance vary beyond sound pressure levels.

The project is multidisciplinary in nature and incorporates a mixed-methods approach rooted in environmental psychology, landscape architecture and soundscape research. The project connects with contemporary discourses in those fields, including biodiversity, sustainability, densification and salutogenic environments.