Redevelopment of an urban open public space using the soundscape approach: a case study in Città di Castello, Italy

This paper reports the design process for the redevelopment of a square located in the historical center of Città di Castello, central Italy. The square is currently used as a parking lot for the residents; this has completely compromised the beautiful Renaissance paving. Town Planning Schedule will soon turn the space into a pedestrian area; furthermore the Public Library will be located in a building facing the square. The goal of the design is to redevelop the square, and in particular the design idea is to convert the square into an outdoor floor for the Public Library, to be used both for individual reading/studying and for conferences and cultural events. The current visual and acoustical status of the area are firstly described. Binaural recordings were carried out to measure the acoustical climate and soundwalks were conducted to detect the soundmarks of the area. Moreover, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the current Public Library in order to collect data on the design options for the open space of the new library. The results of the acoustic measurements and of the surveys allowed to redesign the square both from architectural and soundscape point of view.