Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

The Landscape: Quiet Places, Elizabeth Mylott, Kenya D. Williams

Metroscape

How does sound affect the urban experience? Recently, acoustics ecologists who study relationships among human beings, communities, and environments have been drawing attention to the potential adverse and pleasurable effects of aural surroundings on physical and behavioral responses. Such reactions to soundscapes are often unnoticed due to passive hearing versus active listening. Cities are often dismissed as loud areas with noisy and annoying soundscapes. However, some parks and gardens within cities are designed, at least in part, for calm and quiet.