Developing sound-aware cities: a model for implementing sound quality objectives within urban design and planning processes

ABSTRACT

This article describes a process for facilitating communication about sound and the public realm between a variety of urban actors. This process is based on an experience-led model that includes guided walks, interdisciplinary discussions, and the cooperative production of site-specific infographics, foregrounding a conception of urban sound-related qualities as dynamically formed from both their physical and social context. This model integrates diverse perspectives concerning sound, providing a common language to communicate between actors and disciplines. Retaining a focus on first-hand experience, the article establishes a point of reference based on two people walking through the city in conversation with each other. This point of reference encourages teams of architects, planners, and users to approach sound-aware urban planning and design based on considerations of urban morphology, noise- and sound-related standards, input from both qualitative and quantitative modes of site analysis and specific community concerns. The article presents this model as a modular component to be staged at different points within an iterative design process in projects of a variety of scales, allowing sound-related objectives to be translated into deliverable actions and effective results.

KEYWORDS:

• Sound quality objectives
• communication
• urban planning and architecture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The examples of sound-aware design referenced in this paper were generously supported by Oslo European Green Capital 2019, the Canton of Zurich, Dublin City Council, and the Dublin City Public Art Programme.

Notes on contributors

Trond Maag

Trond Maag is an urbanist whose practice is focused on the urban sound realm, the quality of public spaces and the development of urban areas. In cooperation with sound artist Andres Bosshard he conducts citymaking projects and performs multidisciplinary research, case studies, workshops, and guided walks that support masterplans and architecture projects. Maag is responsible for urban sound planning at the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. https://urbanidentity.info/

Andres Bosshard

Andres Bosshard is a lecturer at Zurich University of The Arts. Bosshard has performed as a musician and sound artist since 1976 at festivals in Europe, America, Japan and India and was artistic director of the 'Klangturm' at Expo.02 in Biel. http://www.soundcity.ws/

Sven Anderson

Sven Anderson is an artist and architectural consultant. His work explores the act of listening within diverse architectural, social, and cultural contexts. His practice creates active interfaces between artists, communities, architects, planners, and policymakers, identifying spaces for sustainable research and production. He lectures at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and a researcher within the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media (GradCAM) at Technological University Dublin. http://www.svenanderson.net/

Maag and Anderson have received awards issued by the European Environmental Agency for their work with the urban sound realm, in 2013 and 2014. Bosshard received the Swiss Music Award 2017 for the project 'sonicArk', commissioned for the Aarhus 2017 European Capital of Culture.