Evaluation of natural sounds in urban greenery: potential impact for urban nature preservation
Open Access
- 1 February 2017
- journal article
- research article
- Published by The Royal Society in Royal Society Open Science
- Vol. 4 (2), 170037
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170037
Abstract
Most humans now live in cities and their main experience of nature is through urban greenery. An increasing number of studies show the importance of urban green spaces for well-being, although most of them are based on visual perception. A questionnaire examining people's evaluations of natural sounds was answered by 1326 individuals living near one of six urban green areas of varying naturalness in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Women and the elderly reported greater calmness when hearing bird song and rustling leaves (and placed a higher importance on the richness of bird species) than did men, younger and middle-aged individuals. Independent of age and gender, urban woodlands (high naturalness) had higher evaluations than parks (low naturalness). Our results suggest that to increase positive experiences of urban green areas, demographic variables of gender and age should be taken into account, and settings that mimic nature should be prioritized in planning.This publication has 62 references indexed in Scilit:
- Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban CommunitiesInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2013
- Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon poolsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012
- Empowering women facilitates conservationBiological Conservation, 2010
- Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental NoiseInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2010
- Do green areas affect health? Results from a Danish survey on the use of green areas and health indicatorsHealth & Place, 2007
- The Childhood FactorEnvironment and Behavior, 2007
- Influences of culture and environmental attitude on thermal, emotional and perceptual evaluations of a public squareInternational Journal of Biometeorology, 2006
- Natural Environments—Healthy Environments? An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Greenspace and HealthEnvironment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 2003
- The home and near‐home area offer restoration opportunities differentiated by genderScandinavian Housing and Planning Research, 1998
- Laboratory annoyance and skin conductance responses to some natural soundsJournal of Sound and Vibration, 1986