Special Issue: Measurement, Simulation, and Design of Sound in Urban Spaces

Sound quality in urban spaces is not only a matter of limit values for noise levels but is also key to human physical and psychological well-being, which makes it a challenge for the latest data analysis techniques [1–3]. This Special Issue gathers publications on projects and achievements that, from a theoretical and practical point of view [4,5], make innovative proposals on the measurement, simulation and design of sound in urban spaces. The interest covered refers to the contemporary field of environmental sound and soundscape research [6–9], but it also regards proposals for the monitoring and designing of outdoor public spaces [10]. The urban environment needs to be analysed using quantitative and qualitative parameters. The proposed papers highlight their holistic approaches (physical sciences, machine learning, engineering sciences, building sciences, human, and social sciences). Moreover, the Special Issue aims to gather articles in different cultural and geographical contexts, be it at the scale of a building, a district, a city and/or a megalopolis. It is hoped that this could inspire researchers and acousticians to explore new directions in this age of scientific convergence and multidisciplinary cooperation. The Special Issue was an exciting journey for us, in which we had the opportunity to communicate with many people in the field from all over the world. Authors from Italy, Canada, and Spain—including ten universities and two acoustic firms and corporations—participated in this Special Issue. Among the numerous submissions, five successfully passed the review process.