Urban energy infrastructure (e.g. HVAC systems, power distribution networks, and renewable energy technologies) represents a persistent and often unavoidable source of environmental noise in modern cities. Conventional noise assessment and mitigation approaches are primarily based on physical indicators such as sound pressure level, which do not fully capture the complexity of human auditory perception and contextual sound appraisal. This case study investigates whether natural sound sources, specifically birdsong, can improve the perceived acoustic quality of urban environments affected by continuous technical noise. The study is based on a reinterpretation of previously published controlled listening experiment results, in which participants evaluated recorded urban sound environments with and without added birdsong components. Subjective perception was assessed using semantic differential scales, while psychoacoustic parameters were considered to support interpretation of perceptual trends. The findings indicate that the inclusion of birdsong significantly improves perceived soundscape quality by increasing pleasantness and calmness and reducing annoyance, even when overall sound pressure levels remain unchanged. In addition, clear species-dependent differences were observed, suggesting that certain bird vocalizations provide a stronger benefit than others. Among the evaluated species, the chaffinch produced the strongest positive effect, followed by the Eurasian blackcap and European robin, whereas the great tit showed comparatively weaker influence. The results support the potential of soundscape-based strategies as a complementary approach to conventional noise management for urban energy infrastructure. Enhancing natural acoustic elements through biodiversity-supporting urban planning may improve public acceptance and environmental quality in locations where technical noise reduction is limited by spatial, operational, or economic constraints.
Suhanek et al. (Tue,) studied this question.