Understanding the indoor soundscape in public transport spaces : a case study in Akköprü metro station, Ankara

Abstract

Metro stations can be included in the indoor soundscape literature. This study examines the relationship between space recognition and soundmarks. Sound recordings were taken at various sites in and around a metro station and a listening test applied to investigate whether spaces could be recognized only by the sounds associated with them. For each sound recording, participants were asked to describe the recorded space from 17 adjective pairs and define the sound sources. The results are as follows: (1) only half of the participants were able to correctly determine the function of the spaces; (2) bird, wind, and water soundmarks were identified in the urban park near the metro station; pay gates and coin sounds were identified in the station entrance; and the metro train itself, as well as its brakes, doors, and announcement system, were identified on the underground platform; (3) for outdoor spaces, participants tended to choose adjectives such as pleasant, calming, or natural, while for indoor spaces they chose words such as unpleasant, stressing, and artificial; and (4) females on average are able to identify 30% more sounds correctly than males are, and younger age groups’ correct identification rate is greater than older groups’ by 10% on average. © The Author(s) 2017.