Thinking soundscapes into the management of country parks

Countryside and Country Parks, commonly used as an area for recreation, conservation and education, accommodates sunlight and allows free air movement, thus providing visual relaxation. In recent years, ways to make country parks more attractive for use have been highlighted worldwide. Among a number of promoted common themes regarding the protection and enhancement of country parks, sound as a component of the biological and social environment should be utilized for improving the general environmental quality. Based on the large scale field recordings and questionnaire surveys carried out in 3 country parks in Hong Kong countryside, the relationship between subjective evaluation of soundscape and landscape quality as well as the particular contribution of sound in the enhancement of country parks have been statistically analyzed. Results of this study demonstrate a close relationship between subjective evaluation of landscape quality and acoustic quality. Identification of different sound sources in different functional zones, their particular properties and influence on subjective evaluation of the acoustic quality suggests an alternative approach for improving the acoustic quality and consequently the general environmental quality at the countryside location. Keywords: Country Park, Country side, Recreation, Soundscape