Effect of music on crowd behaviours in urban open spaces

Soundscape plays an important role in urban open spaces. However, studies on the effect of sound environment on crowd behaviours have been limited. The aim of this study, therefore, is to explore how music, a typical kind of sound, affects crowd behaviours in urban open spaces. On-site observations were performed at a 100 m x 80 m urban leisure square in Harbin, China. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to measure crowed behaviours, which were classified into movement and non-movement behaviours. The former included passing by and walking around, whereas the latter, sitting and standing around. Two kinds of music, one with strong context and the other without, were used. The sound level distribution maps were made along with crowd density distribution.