SONORUS Urban sound planning project and test sites: an example within the planning stage

SONORUS Urban sound planning project looks towards a proactive planning for improved sonic environments, coupled with the variables influencing the quality of life in cities. The project embraces a holistic urban planning approach, involving acoustics at the planning stage as another variable capable to enrich the built environment. To connect the research carried out with practical implementations, SONORUS incorporates four real case studies with different characteristics and a common demand on the improvement of the sound environment at different stages. This paper focuses mainly on Frihamnen test site (Gothenburg, Sweden), considered a strategic city project with the intention to transform the space into a dense mixed-use area. The paper goes through a general introduction framing the holistic approach in urban sound planning at four test sites. The discussion is centred in the research within Frihamnen and the workshop carried out with SONORUS members and city representatives, with the intention to analyse the acoustic situation and understand the impact of future developments on the sound environment. Finally, the work discusses about the consequences and possibilities that the holistic approach might have in urban sound planning and the entire urban planning process as a driving force to improve the livability of spaces.