eprintid: 10204767 rev_number: 6 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/20/47/67 datestamp: 2025-02-14 14:24:49 lastmod: 2025-02-14 14:24:49 status_changed: 2025-02-14 14:24:49 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Aletta, Francesco creators_name: Zhou, Ke creators_name: Mitchell, Andrew creators_name: Oberman, Tin creators_name: Pluchinotta, Irene creators_name: Torresin, Simone creators_name: Cerwén, Gunnar creators_name: Lam, Bhan creators_name: Can, Arnaud creators_name: Guastavino, Catherine creators_name: Tarlao, Cynthia creators_name: Lavandier, Catherine creators_name: Schulte-Fortkamp, Brigitte creators_name: Cobussen, Marcel creators_name: Burgess, Marion creators_name: Nooshin, Laudan creators_name: Payne, Sarah R creators_name: Ratcliffe, Eleanor creators_name: Bernatek, Ruth creators_name: Hornikx, Maarten creators_name: Ma, Hui creators_name: Kang, Jian title: Exploring the relationships between soundscape quality and public health using a systems thinking approach ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B04 divisions: C04 divisions: F34 note: This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. abstract: Urban soundscapes significantly influence public health, with sound quality affecting well-being and social value. While traditional noise control has emphasized harm reduction, soundscape studies propose that managing sound environments can promote health benefits. This study explores the complex relationships between soundscape quality and public health using a systems thinking approach. In a participatory workshop with 21 experts from fields such as urban planning, environmental psychology, and acoustics, a causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to illustrate the interactions between soundscape quality and public health variables. The CLD revealed key feedback loops and intervention points, organized around themes of socio-economic impact, environmental justice, biodiversity, and soundscape design. Findings highlight that while soundscape quality can enhance community well-being, increased economic value may drive gentrification, altering the social structure and reducing sound source diversity. Additionally, the role of soundscape quality in biodiversity suggests both co-benefits and ecological risks. This study demonstrates the potential of systems thinking to guide interdisciplinary approaches in soundscape management, identifying strategic pathways to inform future research and policy development for equitable and health-promoting urban environments. date: 2025-02-12 date_type: published publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC official_url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44384-025-00003-y oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2360478 doi: 10.1038/s44384-025-00003-y lyricists_name: Aletta, Francesco lyricists_id: FALET55 actors_name: Aletta, Francesco actors_id: FALET55 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: npj Acoustics volume: 1 article_number: 3 issn: 3005-141X citation: Aletta, Francesco; Zhou, Ke; Mitchell, Andrew; Oberman, Tin; Pluchinotta, Irene; Torresin, Simone; Cerwén, Gunnar; ... Kang, Jian; + view all <#> Aletta, Francesco; Zhou, Ke; Mitchell, Andrew; Oberman, Tin; Pluchinotta, Irene; Torresin, Simone; Cerwén, Gunnar; Lam, Bhan; Can, Arnaud; Guastavino, Catherine; Tarlao, Cynthia; Lavandier, Catherine; Schulte-Fortkamp, Brigitte; Cobussen, Marcel; Burgess, Marion; Nooshin, Laudan; Payne, Sarah R; Ratcliffe, Eleanor; Bernatek, Ruth; Hornikx, Maarten; Ma, Hui; Kang, Jian; - view fewer <#> (2025) Exploring the relationships between soundscape quality and public health using a systems thinking approach. npj Acoustics , 1 , Article 3. 10.1038/s44384-025-00003-y <https://doi.org/10.1038/s44384-025-00003-y>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10204767/1/s44384-025-00003-y.pdf