Published:
Acoustical Society of America (ASA), 2021
Published in:
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 149 (2021) 4_Supplement, Seite A72-A72
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1121/10.0004554
ISSN:
0001-4966;
1520-8524
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
Sound is an inseparable part of the living environment and the liveability of the city, whilst environmental noise is a major stressor affecting the urban environment. Several approaches have been applied for its mitigation and the goal of several strategy plans regards the creation of quietness. “Quietness” as a term retains an ambiguity and it can be described, so far, as the lack of noise that is portrayed by means of intensity. The concept of quietness in the urban environment is revisited, in an attempt to reveal a new understanding of the specific phenomena. In this research, the focus is on setting aside all indicators either measuring intensity or contextual ones and use quantifiable metrics regarding the acoustic environment, thus introducing a new composite index called the Composite Urban Quietness Index (CUQI). CUQI comprises two sub-indicators, the Acoustic Complexity Index and the Normalized Difference Soundscape Index. CUQI was tested in order to verify the results of previous research regarding the identification of Quiet Areas in the city of Mytilene. It was concluded that CUQI is effective even in this early stage of development.