Acoustic Quality Index evaluation: procedure improvement supported by the results of a subjective survey

The acoustic quality assessment is a general problem that
affects quite all cities, where human activities, such as in-
dustries, business and commercial centres, represent the
heart of the urban context. The present research focuses
on the use of an Index for the definition of the Acoustic
Environmental Quality. The Acoustic Quality Index (AQI)
was already described and used in previous researches. In
this case, it is applied on a residential area characterised
by moderate traffic noise and 4-6 floors buildings with a
regular rectangular layout. The noise level data have been
calculated by simulation and validated by experimental
measurements. The results in terms of AQI have been com-
pared with the ones obtained by a subjective investigation
developed for this aim in the area. From the comparison,
the need of a more suitable definition of the AQI has lead
to the proposal for modifying the noise level ranges previ-
ously considered.