Landscape visual and sound quality influence on noise pollution propagation in urban green areas·

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate both the landscape’s visual and sound quality influence on propagating noise pollution in the Botanical Garden and the São Lourenço Park in Curitiba, Brazil. Data were collected in three transects (A, B, and C), representing different vegetation densities. Landscape visual quality was characterized through a direct method for valuing landscape elements. The visual quality was classified as Good, Average, or Bad. We used two INSTRUTHERM DEC-470 decibel meters with 1.5-decibel precision for the sound analysis. The landscapes evaluated at site C showed variation in the landscape visual quality from 1 to 21.57, with the best visual and noise attenuation qualities. Correlation analysis between the landscape visual quality and the amount of blocked noise showed a strong correlation coefficient (0.65; p = 0.0001). Landscapes with better visual quality resulted in a greater amount of attenuated noise, mainly due to the presence of vegetation.