Speaker
Description
Urban planning is a key tool for improving the quality of acoustic environments. The characteristics of urban roads, the elements they contain, and the services located along them directly influence their patterns of use and, consequently, the resulting noise levels. Most studies analyzing the relationship between urban variables and sound levels rely on energy-based average indicators, as these are the standard metrics used in noise mapping. However, recent research suggests that percentile sound levels may exhibit a stronger association with noise-related effects. In this context, percentile sound levels, by capturing temporal variability, may provide additional insight into the characterization of urban acoustic environments. Based on this hypothesis, temporal records collected in in two Chilean cities were analyzed to assess the relationship between the temporal structure of percentile levels and the characteristics of the road typologies where monitoring stations were located. The results show that percentile sound levels are able to differentiate road functionality and provide improved insight into the temporal variability of urban noise. These findings suggest that percentile-based approaches may complement traditional energy-based indicators in urban noise assessment