Quiet Urban Areas: repositioning local noise policy approaches - questioning visitors on soundscape and environmental quality

摘要

Current practices about selection, assessment and management of quiet urban areas in European countries appear to be fragmented and widely varying, or even lacking. Although the EU Directive 49/2002/CE on Environmental Noise (commonly abbreviated END) and national (nature, noise or urban planning) policy instruments set requirements on the delineation and management of these areas of 'good acoustic environment'. The QUADMAP project (QUiet Areas Definition and Management in Action Plans), financed by the EU programme LIFE+, aims at developing a harmonized methodology for selection, assessment and management of quiet urban areas (QUAs). Best practices, lessons learned and empirical study data are assessed in order to define - acoustic and other - parameters relevant for the perception and evaluation of quiet urban areas by the citizens. Tools will be available for local stakeholders, such as (noise policy) decision makers, urban planners, and citizens, in order to assess and manage QUAs. The project's objective is to reposition current approaches and facilitate a transition to sustainable, multi-sector and multi-facet policy instruments. This paper presents preliminary results regarding one of the assessment tools, i.e. questioning visitors on soundscape and other qualities of the quiet (urban) area.