Sound environment of Cities

Abstract

The sound environment in the Traditional Baghdad city specified with sound

elements and relationships between sounds that define human sound environment, and

had the greatest impact where natural sounds as human voice, animal and natural sound

in addition to the voices of the traditional industries and the old means of transportation.

The Recent changes in the traditional urban fabric that accompanied with the

requirements of contemporary life. Of transportation, machinery and various industries

affected in the structure of the traditional Baghdad urban fabric and Incision straight

roads to the movement of vehicles and concentration height buildings on both sides of

these roads, with the changing pattern of use of residential to commercial, affected on

the sound environmental and on perceptional preference for the traditional city .For this

reason, An analytical methods and questionnaire studies were conducted in several areas

in Al-Kadhimiya city as an example of the traditional cities. The areas included a wide

range of sound types and different sound level, from highly traffic-noise in Akkad

Street to quiet Al-zuqaq (traditional street).Consistent relationships were found between

measured overall sound levels and perceived sound quality, however, sound source

identification was found to be a stronger predictor of sound quality than measured

sound levels. Sound quality was negatively related to presence of technological sounds

(e.g., road-traffic noise, gasoline generators) in modern type of City Street and

positively related to presence of nature sounds in traditional street.