Abstract
Increased environmental noise exposure in urban environments is having a detrimental impact on people's mental health and wellbeing. Much research and policy focus has been reactive, trying to mitigate negative health outcomes from urban noise exposure. In contrast, preventative health research involving positive health outcomes from exposure to urban sounds is limited. A reconsideration of acoustic environments in terms of soundscapes, rather than environmental noise, helps readdress this imbalance and enables exploring positive health outcomes. Project DeStress is a research study with the aim of Designing and Engineering Soundscapes To enable Restorative Environments for Sustainable Societies (DeStress). The project consists of three parts; 1) Identifying, surveying and evaluating quiet, calm and tranquil urban outdoor places; 2) Simulating audio-visual experiences of urban outdoor places; and 3) Validating simulations. Three UK cities which vary in building material, style, and sound sources are the case study sites. Comparisons are made between quiet areas identified by the public and those identified by local councils as part of the Environmental Noise Directive. To identify the relationship between the acoustic environment and psychologically restorative benefits, fieldwork in three urban outdoor places involved acoustic measurements and public questionnaires. From this an audio-visual simulator of two case study sites was developed to experimentally test the health outcomes associated with designed urban soundscape scenarios. The tool hopes to raise awareness among designers, planners, and the public about the impact design decisions have on how a place sounds and the impact this can have on public health.