Speaker
Description
Urban green spaces are increasingly recognised for their potential contribution to psychological restoration and public health. However, conditions for potential Health Restoration Soundscapes (HeReS) are not uniformly distributed within urban parks and may vary across different areas and use conditions. Understanding this variability is essential for supporting soundscape-informed urban planning and design.This study revisits the application of HeReS-Criteria in Quinta Normal Park, a large urban park located in Santiago, Chile. Originally developed as a practical approach for identifying the potential of urban green spaces to support health restoration, the HeReS-C integrate five complementary conditions related to naturalness, sound levels, perceived sound sources, soundscape assessment, and sensescape coherence.The study combines multidimensional and synchronic soundscape data acquisition, integrating objective and subjective assessment techniques simultaneously applied in situ. Data collection included 263 questionnaires conducted at multiple locations throughout the park during both weekdays and weekends.Spatial variability was analysed through the distribution and overlap of the HeReS-C across different park sectors. Results show substantial variability in the fulfilment of restorative soundscape conditions within the same urban park, suggesting that restorative potential should be understood as spatially dynamic rather than as a homogeneous characteristic of green spaces.The findings also suggest the relevance of temporal dynamics in restorative soundscape assessment. Rather than presenting restoration as a fully demonstrated outcome, this work discusses how the application of the HeReS-Criteria may contribute to soundscape interventions, urban green space planning, and soundscape-informed design approaches.