Sound field and soundscape in underground shopping streets

Soundscape and sound preference are important in underground shopping streets, which are rather common in North-east China. These are typically long spaces, where the length is much greater than the width and height, and classic room acoustic theories are no longer valid. It is therefore of significance to examine the basic characterises of such sound fields. Intensive measurements were made in two long spaces in Harbin City, including an underground corridor in an office building, and an actual underground shopping street, considering both reverberation time and sound pressure level distribution. By comparing the two spaces, the effects of various special features in underground shopping streets were examined. Based on subjective surveys, relationships between the sound field characteristics and subjective soundscape evaluations in underground shopping streets are also briefly discussed.