How do urban planners conceptualize and contextualize soundscape in their everyday work?

摘要

Previous studies have established that soundscape concerns constitute a low but significant priority for urban designers and planners, and that the way they conceive of acoustical concepts is different from soundscape researchers. The gap in discourse between planners and researchers has prevented the achievement of the best possible outcomes for soundscape. In May 2013, 3 public-sector urban planners were interviewed to investigate how planners consider soundscape in their decisions and evaluate the success of an intervention. Open-ended questions addressed abstract soundscape conceptualizations and contextualized them with 2 specific interventions, from past and future work, to ground the responses in concrete settings and expectations. Using the constant comparison method of grounded theory, we identified planners': conceptualization(s) of soundscape, perceived agency for change, agency to obtain expertise, and evaluation practices. Our findings will inform the production of educational materials for urban planners to help them identify and achieve better soundscape outcomes in their native discourse.