It is useful for planners to understand the emotional dimensions on which people assess urban soundscapes, since these dimensions demonstrate how a particular soundscape affects people's perceptions of an urban space. We have previously established that there is a 2-dimensional space that can describe how people feel about a place from hearing its soundscape: the two independent dimensions are "calmness/relaxation" and "vibrancy". Using these two dimensions, we now consider how different urban soundscapes can be positioned within this two dimensional space. We suggest how different soundscapes can be positioned in different places within our 2-dimensional perceptual space, yet have the same metrics. This challenges the conventional idea that traditional acoustic metrics alone are the best way to assess and present soundscapes, and we seek to explore and to reflect on, the balance between quantitative and aesthetic approaches to soundscape evaluation.
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