Are perceived soundscapes within urban parks restorative

The perceived quality of urban park soundscapes is starting to be explored, and attention restoration research has shown which environments are generally restorative. Yet the effect of perceived soundscapes on individuals' restorative experiences is hardly known. Natural environments, in general, provide restoration for people, including recovery from attentional fatigue and enabling reflection. Therefore the visually “natural” environment of urban parks provides a useful setting to explore the role of varying soundscapes in restoration. Four hundred park users within Sheffield, UK, were surveyed as they left two urban parks. Data were collected on aspects of their park visit, along with measures of their current perceived restoration. Participants' perceived soundscapes were described by the amount of time they heard certain sound types in the park, and the volume at which they heard them. Sound levels LAeq, dB(A) within the parks were also monitored on a number of days to provide contextual information. Results of the study will be discussed along with the importance of soundscape quality and individuals' restorative experiences in helping to provide a productive and positive quality of urban life.