Noise influences on restorative effects in a tropical urban green space

Abstract

Nature or greenspaces are have shown to be psychologically restorative. However, increasing urbanisation created many constructions works for city developments that led to a rise in construction noises. These noises then infiltrate into the soundscape of the urban parks. The present study investigated the restorative effect of urban parks and how the presence of construction noise in urban parks would influence the restorative affect. A field study was conducted in an urban park in Singapore. 73 Nanyang Technological University undergraduates went through either a quiet park experience or a noise park experience that has construction noises. 2 participants were excluded due to incomplete participation (25 males, 46 females). Performance on the Digit Span Backwards test was used to analyse cognitive restoration while Profile of Mood States- Short Form scale and Restorative State Scale were used for affective and restorative state restoration analysis. Measurements were taken at three timepoints – baseline (BASE), after the stressor (PRE), after the park experience (POST). Playing construction noise while participants attempted the second cognitive test as the stressor was meant to induce mental fatigue and stress. Split-plot ANOVA analysis found that construction noises in urban parks did not influence people’s cognitive and affect restoration but a general restorative effect due to an experience in the urban park, regardless of its soundscape, was found. This further adds evidence to the restorativeness of urban parks despite Saw, Lim and Carrasco’s (2015) paper that found no association between the ease of access and usage, and people’s subjective well-being.