Lisa R Lavia

Noise Abatement Society · Executive

Soundscape and science outreach to raise awareness of soundscape principles to general audiences. The day’s theme was Get Connected: ’what does it really mean to ‘get connected’? Are we all equally connected, and if not what can be done to address this? What should we really be seeking connections to? How are our world and our lives being shaped by...

The human response to a sound environment is influenced by factors that interlink the person, activity, and place. These factors are often referenced as discrete elements of the "context" in soundscapes, and as "non-acoustic factors" within the noise and health community. Despite their importance, researchers and practitioners tend to use different...

The human response to a sound environment is influenced by factors that interlink the person, activity, and place. These factors are often referenced as discrete elements of the "context" in soundscapes, and as "non-acoustic factors" within the noise and health community. Despite their importance, researchers and practitioners tend to use different...

Nested within the crisis of our attention economy, the siren is undergoing a profound transformation, prompted by our ongoing alarm fatigue and noise pollution, as well as the near-obsolescence and inefficiency of public sound system broadcasts. Employing an interdisciplinary approach from specialists in the field of sound studies, behavioural psyc...

No PDF available ABSTRACT The robust assessment of noise annoyance is of key importance given that it is the most prevalent community response in populations exposed to environmental noise. In 1993, the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise Community Response to Noise team began formalizing a standardized methodology for assessing...

The robust assessment of noise annoyance is of key importance given that it is the most prevalent community response in populations exposed to environmental noise. In 1993, the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise Community Response to Noise team began formalizing a standardized methodology for assessing noise annoyance which res...

Despite being an overall objective of European policies, health equity and environmental justice have not yet been systematically implemented in environmental policies. Taking control over one’s environment as an element of health equity, we consider intractable exposure to transportation noise as a highly relevant policy field. The European Enviro...

Noise annoyance is the most prevalent community response in populations exposed to environmental noise. In 1993 the ICBEN Community Response to Noise team started work formalising a standardised methodology for assessing noise annoyance, which resulted in reporting guidelines and recommendations for standard questions, which was later published by...

There are currently four international standards relating directly to the human perception/evaluation of sound: ISO TS 15666 (assessment of noise annoyance) and ISO 12913 parts 1, 2 and 3 (measurement and assessment of soundscape quality). These standards aim to harmonise the characterisation of perceptions/reactions to a specific sound/sound envir...

Effective soundscape planning, in accordance with the ISO soundscape standard series, is predi-cated on accurately assessing the human response to sound in context. Accurately assessing the human response for this purpose requires the identification of context specific non-acoustic factors (NAFs). In particular, the NAF of stakeholders' perceived c...

Effective soundscape planning, in accordance with the ISO soundscape standard series, is predicated on accurately assessing the human response to sound in context. ccurately assess the human response for this purpose requires the identification of context specific non-acoustic factors (NAFs). In particular, the NAF of stakeholders' perceived contro...

Regenerative building design represents a paradigm shift from current sustainability practices towards a new design approach, as it focuses not only on limiting negative impacts but also on promoting a positive contribution to social and ecological systems. Regenerative design and indoor soundscape research share a multidisciplinary approach and th...

Central to soundscape management in the built environment is how people respond to the sound environment of a place which either currently exists, is being imagined, or once it is developed. Therefore, soundscape practice advocates that stakeholders become cospecifiers/ designers of projects from the project design and inception stage. A significan...

The focus of the building industry and research is shifting from delivering satisfactory spaces to going beyond what is merely acceptable with a wave of new research and practice dedicated to exploring how the built environment can support task performance and enhance people´s health and well-being. The present study addresses the role of acoustics...

The aim of this research is to identify and implement soundscape improvement strategies in urban areas based on loudspeaker placements in the outdoor environment and the use of a computer-based system for adaptive soundscape generation, integrating sonic art practice with acoustic engineering rigour.

This paper presents an agile participatory urban soundscape planning process model, which is proposed as a prerequisite on which to build and reference the efficacy of urban soundscape planning. The model was developed through data synthesis and analysis and mapping engagement with diverse stakeholders across four applied soundscape projects in Bri...

More accurate non-participatory parameters and psychoacoustics to assess human perceptual responses to the acoustic environment are critical to inform effective urban sound planning and applied soundscape practice. Non-participatory observation methods are widely used by experts to capture animal behavior. In 2012, Lavia and Witchel applied these p...

A large number of soundscape studies have shown that soundscapes or sound environments affect people's emotional states, behaviors, and performance. This paper studies the effects of community noise, especially noise from transportations, on the residents’ emotional feelings about the environment. Based upon a large-scale questionnaire survey of re...

Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift from noise control policies towards a new multidisciplinary approach as it involves not only physical measurements but also the cooperation of humanity and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, with more focus on how people actually experience the a...

Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift, as it involves human and social sciences and physical measurements to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures. Moreover, it treats environmental sounds as a resource rather than a waste. "Soundscape and the Built Environment" is the first book to systematically discuss...

In 2011, we conducted a sonic arts-based applied research night- noise intervention, designed in line with a sound-scape management approach, in a busy UK city centre clubbing and entertainment district. In 2014, our new series of experiments were undertaken in a pedestrian subway (i.e. an underground passageway for pedestrians). The goals of the p...

“Sounding Brighton”, is a collaborative project pioneered in the United Kingdom since 2010 by the Noise Abatement Society, the City of Brighton and Hove, and The University of Sheffield. The programme is exploring practical approaches towards better soundscapes and provides the opportunity to raise awareness and promote communication about soundsca...

In recent large scale quiet retiming of freight movements projects, conventional noise monitoring and predictions about sound levels and propagation have been taken. However, complaints from local residents are regularly received by city administrations concerning freight transportation noise, in particular at delivery and servicing points (i.e. du...

In this paper, we investigate the influence of music on human walking behaviors in a public setting monitored by surveillance cameras. To this end, we propose a novel algorithm to characterize the frequency and phase of the walk. It relies on a human-by-detection tracking framework, along with a robust fitting of the human head bobbing motion. Prel...

Brighton & Hove is a thriving UK seaside city facing new and on-going noise issues. It is a destination city with a wide range of restaurants, bars and clubs, which, along with an impressive arts and cultural offer adds to the excitement and interest both for residents and visitors. Brighton provides support to the creative arts, attracts business...

The potential of soundscape planning has been widely illustrated in recent years. Sounding Brighton is a collaborative initiative pioneered by the Noise Abatement Society and Brighton and Hove City Council in 2010 with the support of the former COST Action TD0804. The project continues and is exploring the positive effects soundscapes can have on h...

At present, the only way in which the sounds made by household appliances and small machines are objectively assessed is through the measurement of sound power (or related parameters). While such measurements (if A-weighted) are useful, they cannot capture the user reaction to the device. Ideally, what a prospective purchaser or user of a device wa...

“Sounding Brighton” is a collaborative project exploring practical approaches towards better soundscapes focusing on soundscape issues related to health, quality of life and restorative functions of the environment. The project is part of a citywide engagement process working to provide opportunities to demonstrate how an applied soundscape approac...

In order to help develop an applied soundscape strategy for the City of Brighton & Hove, in the United Kingdom, we conducted a social survey, as part of a project called Sounding Brighton, via a questionnaire study. The survey, in which members of the public were invited to participate anonymously, was supported by the EU COST Action TD0804

"Sounding Brighton" is a collaborative project exploring practical approaches towards better soundscapes focusing on soundscape issues related to health, quality of life and restorative functions of the environment. The project provides the opportunity to raise awareness and promote communication on soundscapes among the general public, stakeholder...

Sounding Brighton is a collaborative project exploring practical approaches toward better soundscapes focusing on soundscape issues related to health, quality of life, and restorative functions of the environment. The project provides the opportunity to raise awareness and promote communication on soundscapes among the general public, stakeholders...