Sons al balcó: Soundscape map of the Confinement in Catalonia

In this study, we aim to study the effect that the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused on the perception of noise in Catalonia. The hypothesis is that the annoyance coming from outdoor noise, minimized by the lockdown, could be associated with better perception of the soundscape by people. The project we have designed allows to validate this hypothesis in two different ways. On the one hand, by means of subjective questionnaires conducted to people living in pre-defined diverse acoustic areas (urban, suburban and rural environments), and on the other hand, by the use of objective measurements of the noise levels , and the study of the soundscape in these areas, by means of short pieces of video collected by citizens. For this purpose, we have designed an on line test to be conducted by any citizen aiming to contribute to this wide study for all the territory of Catalonia, both from rural areas and from cities. A communication campaign was conducted to reach a significant participation. During the lockdown, more than 350 questionnaires and videos were collected, and a first map of the soundscape of the confinement in Catalonia was depicted.