In this study, indicators are proposed to characterize the intrinsic environmental properties and external
value of urban parks. The intrinsic properties involve both acoustic factors and non-acoustic factors, such
as visual aspects and size. To assess external value, the restoration level is defined, which measures the
nearby presence of a quiet, ‘green’ area at residential areas outside parks. The restoration levels of green
areas are based on intrinsic properties and the distancesofeachdwellingtourbanparkareas.Theoverall
environmental value of a park, the group restoration level, is defined as a logarithmic summation of the res-
toration levels over its surrounding residential areas. Restoration levels were determined for sixteen public
parks in the city of Rotterdam and compared with survey data from questionnaires. Results show that the
investigated parks display a large variation in the group restoration level levels, mainly due to differences
in size and average noise levels. To validate the proposed method, survey data from questionnaires are in-
vestigated as to correlation with restoration levels.