Method for identification of soundscape quality by auditory assessment through binaural recordings of different environments

• Grant number: 21/14221-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Marques Monteiro
• Grantee: Lucas Rafael Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/00250-4 - BEYOND NOISE: A methodology for evaluating soundscape quality through binaural recordings and a proposed acoustic quality index, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The vertiginous urbanization of cities has reshaped the configurations of spaces and generated new mechanisms of sound propagation associated with urbanism. From the perspective of the influence of sound on well-being and health, it has become clear that urban interventions in environments are detrimental to the quality of life and the environment. Sounds are directly linked to how we perceive the quality of the environment we are in, and also to our health. Noise exposure has adverse effects on the health of humans, whose effects can encompass various degrees of severity. In this sense, the study design focuses on the perception of the sound environment and its actions (physical and psychological) on people's quality of life. The overall goal of this research is to classify and characterize the environments analyzed by listening to binaural recordings of the soundscape. The hypothesis guiding the thesis is that there is a possibility to identify the sound quality of the environment by listening to binaural environmental recordings and understanding the influence on the quality of life of individuals. There are gaps between descriptors and indicators of the soundscape, and when it comes to psychoacoustics the use of integrated techniques is indispensable. The proper interaction of the techniques used promotes more assertive results for the characterization of the environment about the soundscape, in this approach, the methodology integrates various techniques aimed at understanding the influence of environmental sounds in the perception and sensation of the soundscape by listening to binaural recordings. All the results obtained will serve to determine the quality of the environment and the understanding of the qualitative problems of the site in the act of proposing improvements or coherently classifying them.