Soundscape perception and preference in the context of Malaysian urban parks

Abstract

Park soundscape studies are receiving increasing attention in cities due to the increasing noise pollution in urban centers. As soundscape is dependent on people-place-interaction, there is still a lack of knowledge on how the socio-demography of the park users influences the perceptions and preferences of the soundscapes in the parks of Malaysia. Most studies on soundscape perception are linked to the general population in developed Western and Eastern countries, investigating the relationship of perception with mental well-being. This paper addresses the gap between the park's sound profile and soundscape perception in the context of a developing country, Malaysia. A random sampling of 423 park users in four selected Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya parks was used to conduct an on-site survey regarding their perceptions of the park's soundscape. The study revealed that soundscape perception differs among park visitors in a typical urban park in Malaysia. Three dimensions of socio-demographic and behavioural attributes were found to be associated with the perception and preferences of park soundscapes, which are (1) age and educational level, related to the perception of the dominance of human sounds; (2) distance from home and sensitivity of park users revealed that those who are stressed and more sensitive to noises influence their expectations of the pleasantness and calmness of the park's soundscape; and (3) gender and occupation on the other hand only relates to the dominance of natural sounds indicating that females are more sensitive to the sounds of nature when in a park. It is crucial to consider the needs of all park visitors to provide a supporting soundscape which matches the activities carried out in the parks. These results implicate Malaysian park planning and management by serving a further understanding of the relationship between the soundscape of the parks from the perspective of different park users.