Wong Chun Yin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-143). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.xv / LIST OF ACRONYMS --- p.xvi / Chapter CHAPTER ONE - --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Research background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Urban park functions and challenges --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Urban park acoustic environment --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Urban Parks in Hong Kong --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Conceptual framework and research objectives --- p.7 / Chapter 1.5 --- Research significance --- p.9 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO - --- LITERATURE REVIEW / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2 --- Changing approach in managing noise problem in living environment: from noise control to soundscape planning --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Noise control: sound (noise) as a waste to avoid --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Soundscape planning: sound as a resource to utilize --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Soundscape as a guiding principle --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- The importance of soundscape --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Criteria for soundscape planning --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.5.1 --- Sound intensity and quietness --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.5.2 --- "Sound source, soundscape clarity and sound preference" --- p.16 / Chapter 2.2.5.3 --- "Sound information content, sound-image congruence and acoustic masking" --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2.5.4 --- Acoustic comfort --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.5.5 --- Acoustic objectives --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- From soundscape planning to environmental design --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3 --- Impact of road traffic noise on human --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Detection of road traffic noise --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Response to road traffic noise --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.2.1 --- Reaction to noise --- p.23 / Chapter 2.3.2.2 --- Physiological response --- p.24 / Chapter 2.3.2.3 --- Behavioural response --- p.24 / Chapter 2.3.2.4 --- Cognitive response --- p.25 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Moderating factors for road traffic noise impact --- p.25 / Chapter 2.3.3.1 --- Auditory masking --- p.25 / Chapter 2.3.3.2 --- Visual screening --- p.26 / Chapter 2.4 --- Previous studies on urban park soundscape --- p.27 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Focus on sound intensity --- p.27 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Sound as a resource to utilize --- p.28 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Recommendations on park design --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Research gaps --- p.31 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE - --- METHODOLOGY / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2 --- Site selection --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3 --- Characterizing urban park soundscape --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Identification of sound source --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Field Measurement of Sound intensity and frequency spectrum --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Contribution from road traffic noise --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Questionnaire design to study human perception --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Sampling strategy --- p.47 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summary --- p.48 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR - --- SOUNDSCAPE OF URBAN PARKS IN HONG KONG / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2 --- Sound source --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Mechanical sounds --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Natural sounds --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Man-made sounds --- p.59 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Soundscape clarity --- p.59 / Chapter 4.3 --- Sound Intensity --- p.63 / Chapter 4.4 --- Contribution from road traffic noise to urban park sound intensity --- p.66 / Chapter 4.5 --- Frequency spectrum --- p.73 / Chapter 4.6 --- Effect of topographic variations --- p.76 / Chapter 4.7 --- Conclusion --- p.82 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE - --- PARK VISITOR'S PERCEPTION ON URBAN PARK SOUNDSCAPE / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.84 / Chapter 5.2 --- Urban park noisiness --- p.84 / Chapter 5.3 --- Sound source --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4 --- Sound preference --- p.87 / Chapter 5.5 --- Effect of park size --- p.93 / Chapter 5.6 --- Effect of park function --- p.94 / Chapter 5.7 --- Effect of fountain --- p.95 / Chapter 5.8 --- Perceived importance of tranquility --- p.96 / Chapter 5.9 --- Conclusion --- p.101 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX - --- IMPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ON URBAN PARK SOUNDSCAPE DESIGN / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.102 / Chapter 6.2 --- Soundscape of urban parks in Hong Kong: undesirable yet being adapted… --- p.102 / Chapter 6.3 --- Enhancing soundscape identity of urban parks --- p.103 / Chapter 6.4 --- Small parks --- p.104 / Chapter 6.5 --- Large parks --- p.107 / Chapter 6.6 --- Conclusion --- p.109 / Chapter CHAPTER SEVEN - --- CONCLUSION / Chapter 7.1 --- Introduction --- p.110 / Chapter 7.2 --- Summary of findings --- p.110 / Chapter 7.3 --- Limitations of the research --- p.115 / Chapter 7.3.1 --- Park visitor's aspiration for desirable soundscape --- p.115 / Chapter 7.4 --- Further studies for designing a desirable urban park soundscape --- p.116 / APPENDIX ONE --- p.118 / APPENDIX TWO --- p.122 / REFERENCES --- p.137

O acordo entre a DERSA, a municipalidade e o Estado de São Paulo, criou quatro parques naturais no município de São Paulo, decorrente da política de compensação ambiental do licenciamento do Rodoanel Trecho Sul. Dentre esses destacamos o Parque Natural Municipal Itaim. Diante de seu contexto de implantação, a pesquisa trabalha na perspectiva de que esse novo equipamento, voltado à conservação ecológica, tem potencial para catalisar transformações socioambientais. Tais transformações podem ser alcançadas a partir da sensibilização, da interpretação ambiental e de práticas socioeducativas promovidas pelo parque. A partir do diálogo com seu entorno define-se a sua contribuição como promotor da integração social, em um possível sistema de áreas de conservação e uso público na região. Uma vez que, a par de sua importância ambiental, também analisada por essa pesquisa, o parque está inserido na periferia de São Paulo, no avanço do urbano sobre o rural. Uma região marcada pela extrema espoliação de sua população, carente de espaços de lazer, equipamentos culturais e educativos. A pesquisa parte do entendimento que o parque tem uma função social a cumprir e, para que sua implantação e gestão tenha êxito, a interação entre esse novo equipamento e a comunidade local é vista como essencial. Trabalha com análises cartográficas, dados socioeconômicos, sobreposição de cartas temáticas integrados às percepções obtidas a partir da vivência em campo, da rede e dos atores sociais mapeados, bem como do acompanhamento do processo de implantação do parque. A pesquisa resgata as propostas para o parque incitadas pelas equipes da área social do Plano de Manejo e seus estudos decorrentes, por entender que na situação atual o parque caminha para visões reducionistas ancoradas no discurso da inviabilidade orçamentária, da escassez de recursos humanos e das dificuldades institucionais verificadas. Defende-se o caráter singular e inovador do Parque Natural Municipal Itaim, onde a figura de seu gestor se destaca pela articulação e potencialização das redes de relações existentes, a partir de projetos e ações pilotos. / Four natural parks are being created in the city of Sao Paulo as result from an agrément reached by the Brazilian Road Authority (Dersa), municipal and State authorities. These parks were designed to compensate the environmental impact of the new Rodoanel Trecho Sul highway. This study analyses the impact of the \"Parque Natural Municipal Itaim\", not only from an environmental perspective, but also as a catalyst for social transformation in its neighboring communities. This park is situated in the poor suburbs of Sao Paulo, an area where rural and urban settings co-exist. The communities in the surroundings of the park are extremely poor and marginalized, lacking all sorts of service, leisure, cultural and educative activities. In this context, the park plays a fundamental role, not only from its inherent environmental benefits, but also by offering a place where the local communities can meet, enjoy and where they have access to social and educative initiatives promoted by the park. In this context, the park has also a central social role providing a jump-start in offering access to leisure and incorporating these poor communities in the city. This park should have a key social importance to them, marginalized communities that are usually neglected by local authorities, with limited access to basic public services. The study emphasizes the importance of the park in facilitating the regional environmental connectivity and as a fundamental transformation agent for the surrounding communities by analyzing demographical and socioeconomic data, cartographs and thematic charts combined with the qualitative data and interviews collected in loco. The study also made extensive use of qualitative data gathered in loco in order to understand how the park is viewed from the perspective of the individuals who live in its vicinity - how they perceive and appreciate their landscape and the educational role of the park in sensitizing and stimulating the local populations to the importance and role of the local green areas, either the ones that exist today or that will be created in the future. The singular and innovative aspects of the park are reemphasized in a moment when authorities discuss budgetary cuts, under staffing and face organizational challenges. This could potentially limit the scope of this project that is still being developed. However, there is still time and we (NEP-FAUUSP) hope there is enough commitment to deliver the full scope of the park, that would have a key role in improving the life of adjacent communities.

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Philosophy

O acordo entre a DERSA, a municipalidade e o Estado de São Paulo, criou quatro parques naturais no município de São Paulo, decorrente da política de compensação ambiental do licenciamento do Rodoanel Trecho Sul. Dentre esses destacamos o Parque Natural Municipal Itaim. Diante de seu contexto de implantação, a pesquisa trabalha na perspectiva de que esse novo equipamento, voltado à conservação ecológica, tem potencial para catalisar transformações socioambientais. Tais transformações podem ser alcançadas a partir da sensibilização, da interpretação ambiental e de práticas socioeducativas promovidas pelo parque. A partir do diálogo com seu entorno define-se a sua contribuição como promotor da integração social, em um possível sistema de áreas de conservação e uso público na região. Uma vez que, a par de sua importância ambiental, também analisada por essa pesquisa, o parque está inserido na periferia de São Paulo, no avanço do urbano sobre o rural. Uma região marcada pela extrema espoliação de sua população, carente de espaços de lazer, equipamentos culturais e educativos. A pesquisa parte do entendimento que o parque tem uma função social a cumprir e, para que sua implantação e gestão tenha êxito, a interação entre esse novo equipamento e a comunidade local é vista como essencial. Trabalha com análises cartográficas, dados socioeconômicos, sobreposição de cartas temáticas integrados às percepções obtidas a partir da vivência em campo, da rede e dos atores sociais mapeados, bem como do acompanhamento do processo de implantação do parque. A pesquisa resgata as propostas para o parque incitadas pelas equipes da área social do Plano de Manejo e seus estudos decorrentes, por entender que na situação atual o parque caminha para visões reducionistas ancoradas no discurso da inviabilidade orçamentária, da escassez de recursos humanos e das dificuldades institucionais verificadas. Defende-se o caráter singular e inovador do Parque Natural Municipal Itaim, onde a figura de seu gestor se destaca pela articulação e potencialização das redes de relações existentes, a partir de projetos e ações pilotos. / Four natural parks are being created in the city of Sao Paulo as result from an agrément reached by the Brazilian Road Authority (Dersa), municipal and State authorities. These parks were designed to compensate the environmental impact of the new Rodoanel Trecho Sul highway. This study analyses the impact of the \"Parque Natural Municipal Itaim\", not only from an environmental perspective, but also as a catalyst for social transformation in its neighboring communities. This park is situated in the poor suburbs of Sao Paulo, an area where rural and urban settings co-exist. The communities in the surroundings of the park are extremely poor and marginalized, lacking all sorts of service, leisure, cultural and educative activities. In this context, the park plays a fundamental role, not only from its inherent environmental benefits, but also by offering a place where the local communities can meet, enjoy and where they have access to social and educative initiatives promoted by the park. In this context, the park has also a central social role providing a jump-start in offering access to leisure and incorporating these poor communities in the city. This park should have a key social importance to them, marginalized communities that are usually neglected by local authorities, with limited access to basic public services. The study emphasizes the importance of the park in facilitating the regional environmental connectivity and as a fundamental transformation agent for the surrounding communities by analyzing demographical and socioeconomic data, cartographs and thematic charts combined with the qualitative data and interviews collected in loco. The study also made extensive use of qualitative data gathered in loco in order to understand how the park is viewed from the perspective of the individuals who live in its vicinity - how they perceive and appreciate their landscape and the educational role of the park in sensitizing and stimulating the local populations to the importance and role of the local green areas, either the ones that exist today or that will be created in the future. The singular and innovative aspects of the park are reemphasized in a moment when authorities discuss budgetary cuts, under staffing and face organizational challenges. This could potentially limit the scope of this project that is still being developed. However, there is still time and we (NEP-FAUUSP) hope there is enough commitment to deliver the full scope of the park, that would have a key role in improving the life of adjacent communities.