ABSTRACT: Soundscape is the acoustic environment of a place and over time, it is observed how the sonority of cities are changing along with its development. This research aims to characterize the Soundscape of open spaces with public use of the foundational areas (Downtown and Moscoso Park neighborhoods) of the city of Vitória, Espírito Santo. Selected six major plazas, we question the sound condition of these places, which sounds its users hear and the representativeness of each sound in the local context. The relevance of this research is to present the first systematic records on the Soundscape of Vitória, and the hypothesis is that the sound of a place is part of its identity and significance. The technique used was Content Analysis and the procedures were Bibliographical Research and Case Study. The research objectives directed the delimitation of the subject, such as the spatial selection, time frame and method of measurement. The measurement was taken in three days in December 2013, during four time ranges from 7 am to 22 pm, and through dynamic collections, soundwalks, with drifting paths. The data were summarized, analyzed and diagrammed on a sound map and on graphics containing the representativeness of each sound category. It was concluded that this research has brought awareness of the sound environment of the plazas, presenting the qualitative and quantitative characterization of the Sound Events and Sound Marks, besides of generating data for the creation of a bank of sound memory of the
city of Vitória.
