The assessment of soundscape quality in historic urban parks: A case study of El-Goli Park of Tabriz, Iran.

This article focuses on assessing the soundscape quality of El-Goli Park, a historic urban park in Tabriz, Iran, to understand how different sound sources influence visitors' perceptions of the park’s overall quality. The study combined objective acoustic measurements of sound pressure levels with subjective visitor surveys to identify dominant sounds and evaluate their pleasantness, revealing that natural sounds (such as birds and water) and human sounds (voices and footsteps) are generally perceived as pleasant, while mechanical sounds (traffic, construction, amusement devices) are considered unpleasant. Findings indicate significant positive correlations between soundscape quality, visual quality, and overall impression, but no direct correlation between sound pressure levels and perceived soundscape quality, highlighting the importance of qualitative factors in soundscape evaluation. Additionally, visitor age and time of day were found to influence soundscape perception, suggesting that soundscape management in historic parks should consider both acoustic and social dimensions to enhance visitor experience and support conservation efforts.