Pheasant R., Barrett B., Horoshenkov K., Watts G.

The word tranquillity appears in numerous policy and planning documents and is frequently cited as a vital indicator of environmental quality. However, no quantifiable or structured mechanism exists, that enables all aspects of visual and acoustic stimuli upon tranquillity, to be factored into landscape management and planning decisions. This is largely due to the fact that within the context of a ‘tranquil environment’, little is known about the interaction of different sensor modalities and how they influence the construction of tranquil space. A study was conducted that utilized in-situ audio, video and photographic stimuli collected from a sample of British urban and rural environments determined by five landscape classifications. Data in the form of still and recorded images was presented to the subjects who were required to make both subjective and objective assessments about the influence upon tranquillity of natural and manmade noise. A subjective assessment was also carried out to determine whether there was a correlation between the perceived soundscape of five different landscape images and the actual soundscape at the time of recording, and a corresponding assessment conducted to determine the perceived landscape characteristics of five audio tracks. Whilst this work is of particular interest to those charged with large scale landscape management, such as the National Park Authorities, it is of equal interest to Local Authorities and other agencies charged with providing and maintaining public amenity in both urban and rural environments.