Residents of Brighton, Edinburgh and Sheffield are being invited to identify outdoor places they feel are quiet, calm or tranquil as part of a project to tackle the effects of noise pollution on health
Project Destress, run by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, will use the data to develop an interactive tool which will be available to the public. It will help map the health outcomes that are associated with particular soundscapes and help in designing spaces of peace and calm in cities.
“We want to empower more people to identify and safeguard the quiet areas in their cities and increase awareness of the implications of the layout and surrounding building surfaces on soundscapes,” said project leader, Dr Sarah Payne.
We want to empower more people to identify and safeguard the quiet areas in their cities
The tool will be useful in helping people engage with planning projects in their communities and shape how their neighbourhoods ‘sound’ so it supports their health and wellbeing, she added.
