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Volume 35, Issue 4 (2025)
IJAUP 2025, 35(4) |
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Khozaei F, Lesan M, Hosseini nia M, Sanusi Hassan A. Exploring the Relationship Between Stress Levels and Sound Environment Preferences: Toward Pandemic-Resilient Urban Park Design. IJAUP 2025; 35 (4)
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-944-en.html
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-944-en.html
1- Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Dhofar University, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman , fatemehkhozaei@du.edu.om
2- Department of Architecture, School of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology
3- Department Of Urbanism, Ke.c.,Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran.
4- School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia.
2- Department of Architecture, School of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology
3- Department Of Urbanism, Ke.c.,Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran.
4- School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia.
Abstract:
This study aims to examine how the Burden of COVID-19 (BUC), depression (DEP), and stress (STR) are related to soundscape preferences (City Voice/traffic, Music, Voice of Nature/birdsong) and to distil design implications for pandemic-resilient urban parks. This cross-sectional online study with N = 323 university students used a 60-s 3D animation of a constant green pedestrian way with three randomized audio conditions (City Voice, Music, Voice of Nature). Psychological variables were assessed with DASS-21 subscales (DEP, STR) and a 10-item BUC index. To minimize loudness confounds, audio was loudness-normalized (BS.1770-5) and participants completed a brief headphone screening before trials. Analyses reported Cronbach’s α, Pearson correlations, exact p values, and FDR control. The study showed that BUC correlated positively with Music (r = .288, p < .001), DEP (r = .213, p < .001), and STR (r = .186, p = .001), but not with City Voice or Voice of Nature. DEP correlated positively with Music (r = .174, p = .002) and Voice of Nature (r = .492, p < .001). STR correlated positively with Voice of Nature
(r = .377, p < .001). City Voice showed no reliable associations with BUC, DEP, or STR. All effects with p ≤ .002 remained after FDR control. Park and streetscape projects should buffer traffic noise, foreground pleasant natural acoustics (e.g., water features, habitat for birds/insects), and consider opt-in, curated music zones during crises to support self-regulation and recovery. Sound-attentive design can extend restorative experiences to communities with limited access to large green spaces, supporting equitable mental-health resilience during public-health emergencies. However, findings should be interpreted with caution given the student sample, correlational design, and single-item soundscape preference measures. The study isolates the auditory contribution to restoration under controlled loudness in a virtual park, links pandemic burden to sound preferences, and translates results into actionable soundscape guidelines for pandemic-ready urban design.
(r = .377, p < .001). City Voice showed no reliable associations with BUC, DEP, or STR. All effects with p ≤ .002 remained after FDR control. Park and streetscape projects should buffer traffic noise, foreground pleasant natural acoustics (e.g., water features, habitat for birds/insects), and consider opt-in, curated music zones during crises to support self-regulation and recovery. Sound-attentive design can extend restorative experiences to communities with limited access to large green spaces, supporting equitable mental-health resilience during public-health emergencies. However, findings should be interpreted with caution given the student sample, correlational design, and single-item soundscape preference measures. The study isolates the auditory contribution to restoration under controlled loudness in a virtual park, links pandemic burden to sound preferences, and translates results into actionable soundscape guidelines for pandemic-ready urban design.
Keywords: Soundscape, Environmental noise, Nature sounds, Music, Stress reduction, Depression, COVID-19, Urban park design, Resilience
Type of Study: Research Paper |
Subject:
Architecture
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