Mapping tranquility - A case study of the Central Park Soundscape, New York City

In cities it is important to provide citizens with green spaces to relax and unwind to enhance psychological and physical well-being. These areas can be considered restorative settings, giving relief from cognitive overload and stress, and authorities must do more to provide and protect these areas. In order to help identify appropriate spaces, early research considering the concept of tranquility has yielded the Tranquility Rating Prediction Tool (TRAPT). The TRAPT assesses the overall noise level together with visual features in the space. This paper applies the concept of a tranquility rating to develop a map of tranquility within Central Park, New York City. For this study, a team of 14 researchers walked predefined paths throughout the park. Noise levels were recorded with dosimeters, locations were logged using GPS-enabled smartphones, photographs were taken at regular intervals, and any extraneous noise events were logged using a dedicated smartphone app. All datasets were time-stamped and geo-localized and were used to develop a map of tranquility in Central Park.