Tranquillity Trails - Designs for City and Town

Tranquillity Trails are walking routes that have been designed to allow space for residents and visitors to reflect and recover from stress in urban areas while receiving the benefits of healthy exercise. In fact, studies have shown that spaces that are rated by visitors as tranquil are more likely to produce higher levels of relaxation and less anxiety. Tranquil spaces are characterized by a soundscape dominated by natural sounds and low levels of man-made noise. In addition, the presence of vegetation and wild life has been shown to be an important contributory factor. The paper describes Tranquillity Trails designed for two contrasting areas: Bradford, a large city in the north of England and Kingsbridge a coastal town in south west of England. Predictions of the rated tranquility have been made along the routes using a previously developed model TRAPT. These profiles are compared and contrasted and are shown to have significant differences. The reasons for these differences are discussed and means of improving levels of tranquility are given. Guidance on the design of Tranquillity Trail leaflets describing the route is given and suggested features that may improve uptake are suggested