| dc.description.abstract | Good soundscape quality in parks can only be provided with a thorough understanding of the complex relationships among sound, environment, and individuals. This study explores visitors' perceptions of the urban park soundscape to relieve stress. The study employed a mixed-methods approach consisting of an objective sound walk survey, a questionnaire survey, and a landscape design approach to improve sound quality in urban parks. Approximately 234 park visitor responses were obtained from online questionnaire surveys administered in the Fargo, North Dakota, region. Objective sound measurements were conducted at 53 survey spots on four different days, two days in the morning and the other two in the afternoon, corresponding to the questionnaire. The findings unveil that acoustic comfort evaluation, besides visual comfort evaluation of landscape, also plays a vital role in users’ acceptability of the urban park environment. The soundwalk survey collected visitors' perceptions and evaluation of the urban park soundscape. At the same time, the qualitative questionnaire survey explored visitors' experiences and preferences regarding the soundscape for stress relief and preferred locations to visit inside the park. The literature review and study results showed that visitors perceived the urban park soundscape as essential for promoting stress relief and relaxation. Visitors preferred natural sounds, such as bird songs and water sounds, over human-made sounds, such as traffic and construction noise, as they were more calming and pleasant. The study also found that visitors had varying preferences for the intensity and complexity of the soundscape, with some preferring a quiet and straightforward soundscape.
In contrast, others enjoyed a more diverse and complex soundscape, where an above-average decibel range of anthropogenic sounds did not deter the park users' willingness to stay. The results suggest that urban park designers should consider the soundscape as a crucial element in promoting stress relief and well-being for park visitors. Furthermore, these results are applied to the Mid-American Steel site in Fargo, North Dakota, a post-industrial site with a strong historical background. This site has potential features for urban park development and civic facilities to make a good connection between downtown Fargo and the bank of Red River. The major challenge of this location is the rail track, which has passed through the site and, in this design, reduces decibel levels of rail track using a gradient of priorities based on park programming. | en_US |
