Buildings, Vol. 16, Pages 2746: Influencing Factors of Eventfulness in Built-Environment Soundscapes: A Systematic Review with Grounded Theory Analysis

Buildings, Vol. 16, Pages 2746: Influencing Factors of Eventfulness in Built-Environment Soundscapes: A Systematic Review with Grounded Theory Analysis

Buildings doi: 10.3390/buildings16142746

Authors:
Dizi Wu
Shiyao Song
Sixing Liu
Yu Yi
Shihai Wu

Eventfulness is a core dimension of soundscape perception, reflecting cues of activity, social interaction, and dynamic change in the built environment. Although previous studies have examined variables related to eventfulness, evidence remains fragmented across contexts, terminology, and analytical levels, limiting its use in soundscape evaluation and design. This study aims to synthesize and structure the influencing factors of eventfulness perception in built-environment soundscapes. A systematic review was conducted using Web of Science and Scopus, and 79 relevant studies were selected following the PRISMA procedure. Variables, terms, and findings related to eventfulness were extracted and analyzed through grounded theory coding. The results indicate that eventfulness perception is shaped by four core categories: context, sound sources, acoustic environment, and auditory sensation. Over time, research has shifted from sound-related factors toward a broader contextualized understanding, with sound sources remaining the most recurrent explanatory basis and contextual factors expanding markedly but remaining dispersed in evidence. Although variation in contextual definitions, terminology, and measurement protocols limits direct cross-study comparison, the proposed four-category framework provides a coherent structure for organizing existing evidence and highlights the need for more systematic empirical research across diverse built-environment settings.