Research work in tree stages about sounds in urban contexts

Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland

“A guide has to be drawn up to prevent or reduce noise emissions in appropriate areas (near natural landscapes, national parks, important recreational areas). The guidelines should indicate the possibilities of preserving or reinstating tranquility or the sounds specific to a landscape. to complement the instruments of the noise protection ordinance”.

We started this research project with a very open-minded approach.
Our aim was to learn more about meaning, role and perception of noise and sounds in our today’s environment through a broad collection of sonic impressions. The empiric working method and its results base upon the acoustic cognition obtained through more than 20 years. There were questions not only about the quantity of noise, but also about its possible qualities. How about sonic associations? In which way sound and emotions are connected?