Before Becoming a World Heritage: Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Spatial Dependency of the Soundscapes in Kulangsu Scenic Area, China

Kulangsu, a historic international settlement and UNESCO World Heritage Site, exhibits significant spatiotemporal dynamics in its soundscapes, which are closely tied to landscape perceptions. Research reveals that biological sounds dominate during the day, while human sounds prevail in the evening, indicating a thriving night-time economy alongside a preserved natural environment. Soundscape quality is influenced by the dominance of sound sources and landscape satisfaction but not directly by landscape characteristics such as green spaces or vegetation index. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models outperformed traditional Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models, suggesting non-linear relationships between soundscape pleasantness and perceived sound sources or landscape satisfaction. The study underscores the importance of spatial stationarity in modeling soundscape dependencies and advocates for comprehensive temporal data to enhance model accuracy. These findings provide critical insights for future planning, design, and management strategies for scenic areas and World Heritage Sites.

Chen, Z., Zhu, T.-Y., Liu, J., & Hong, X.-C. (2022). Before Becoming a World Heritage: Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Spatial Dependency of the Soundscapes in Kulangsu Scenic Area, China. Forests, 13(9), 1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091526