Auditory barriers and facilitators to urban wayfinding for people with visual impairment

Urban sounds can provide spatial information for people with visual impairment, but their usefulness for wayfinding varies with acoustic conditions, environmental context, and individual experience. Evidence concerning these relationships is dispersed across disciplines. To map reported auditory barriers and facilitators to urban wayfinding, examine contextual variation, and identify implications for design and research. The review followed JBI methodological guidance and the PRISMA-ScR reporting framework. Searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink between June and July 2025. Eligible sources included empirical studies and directly relevant design-oriented or conceptual journal articles addressing auditory information in relation to wayfinding, mobility, orientation, or accessibility in built environments. Twenty-four sources were included, charted, and synthesized using descriptive and interpretive content analysis, with findings interpreted according to their evidential role. The synthesis identified five domains: sound sources and physical acoustic conditions; perceptual and cognitive processes; contextual conditions; wayfinding outcomes; and design or management responses. Reported barriers included masking, competing sounds, excessive reverberation, and difficulty detecting or localizing cues. Traffic, human activity, natural sounds, and audible signals provided navigational references in some settings but could also obscure relevant information. Their usefulness varied with spatial configuration, temporal availability, distinctiveness, route familiarity, and user characteristics. Reported confidence and perceived safety were distinguished from observed wayfinding performance. The navigational value of urban sound depends on its relationship to the user, task, and context. The synthesis links auditory conditions with user interpretation and wayfinding outcomes and identifies propositions for design and management. Heterogeneity in study designs, settings, and outcome measures limits direct comparison and conclusions about effectiveness. Proposed applications require participatory evaluation in real urban settings.