Acoustic and economic valuation of soundscape: An application to the 'Retiro' Urban Forest Park

- Noise and “quiet sound” areas were identified throughout the urban forest park.
- Contingent valuation method was used for noise valuation in an urban forest park.
- Willingness to pay for improvement of the environment in the urban forest park reached 6.36€.

Urban parks play an outstanding role in cities in protecting their inhabitants from the stress of daily life. However, these green areas might be affected by noise pollution, thus reducing their social function. The aim of this study was twofold: (i) to characterize the soundscape of the Retiro Park, an urban forest park located in Madrid (Spain), and (ii) to estimate the willingness to pay for a noise reduction program. For that purpose, sound levels were measured in different areas in the park, and an on-site survey was conducted to monitor the visitor's sound perception. The noise pollution in the park was not perceived as being high by the majority of the visitors, even though the measurements indicate values of LAeq > 55 dB(A) in 6 out of the 9 studied areas. Finally, visitors would be willing to pay 6.36€ once in a lifetime towards a noise reduction program.