Citizen science mobile apps for soundscape research and public space studies: lessons from the Hush City project

Highlights • Mobile apps have been increasingly developed as participatory tools within the context of citizen science projects on environmental noise. However, fewer apps for the combined identification and assessment of quiet areas have been developed. • Public quiet areas can be essential for healthy cities, being key to counterbalancing the detrimental effects of noise pollution on human health, biodiversity and the environment. • The free citizen science Hush City app, released in 2017, enables users to create an open-access map of quiet areas, with the potential of orientating plans and policies for healthier living. • Drawing on the experience of the Hush City app, 15 people-centred recommendations are proposed potentially to inform the design, build and use of citizen science mobile apps in soundscape research and public spaces studies, aimed at generating a greater health-related quality of life.