Evaluation of an urban soundscape intervention with music: quantitative results from questionnaires

Montreal's regulations forbid the use of amplified music without a permit. With all necessary approvals, in the summer of 2015, we installed Musikiosk (an interactive sound system) in a busy public park allowing users to play their own content over high-quality speakers. Using mixed-methods, soundscape measurements were collected with questionnaires, recordings, interviews, logs, and observations. This analysis concentrates on quantitative findings from the questionnaires, which probed soundscape quality (SSQP), mood, and noise sensitivity (NSS). Questionnaires were administered over 3 conditions: pre-installation with park users, post-installation with Musikiosk users, and post-installation with park users not using Musikiosk. Musikiosk significantly improved the extent to which the park soundscape was judged as pleasant (and conversely, less unpleasant). For all conditions, mood increased during the park visit. This mood benefit was significantly greater after the installation of Musikiosk, and even greater for Musikiosk users. Overall, ratings of soundscape calmness were not significantly different across conditions; however, Musikiosk users rated the soundscape as more vibrant. Findings indicate that Musikiosk, while generally adding decibels, contributes to a more pleasant soundscape and mood improvements without detrimental effects on the perceived calmness, even for park users not using Musikiosk.