Urban symphony for sustainable spaces
The sounds of a city
Big cities are characterized not only for its skylines but also for the component sounds we perceive, also known as a soundscape. Cities are vibrant, cities host movement, and cities host sounds, which all together bring the phonic identity of urban acoustics. The sources for the city noise include sirens, bells, and horns, as well as birds, construction sites, and nightlife. However, not all of them are pleasant sounds. In 1977, the acoustic ecologist R. Murray Schafer proposed three different types of noise:
Effects of noise
Noise usually makes us feel a wide variety of unpleasant feelings and emotions, such as stress, anxiety, irritation, and annoyance. When we hear noise, we are not able to focus, we face difficulty talking and/or hearing others talk, and it can even lead to hearing loss. Noise impacts the health and wellbeing of wildlife too.
Noise is recorded in decibels (dB) and the higher the number is, the louder the sound will be. According to the World Health Organization, for humans, it is safe to listen to sounds at 70 dB or lower for as long as we want. The figure above shows normal sounds for reference.
Covid-19 implications
Lockdown brought to us a new and personalized environment. These months we have created our own symphony which includes not only our preferred sounds but also neighbors hammering or with very loud music, dogs barking, and even people shouting. In spite of all these unwanted sounds, we have gotten used to them and we even ignore them as they have become part of our daily basis.
On the other hand, when we leave the house and go out for a walk, we are more perceptive to the urban sounds. Cars, people, and speakers from stores sound louder as we are not used to them anymore. Social distancing has affected our resilience to manage unwanted and unmusical urban sounds. So how do we create friendly soundscapes for us to cope with the new normality?
Sustainable urban soundscape
Noise plays a major role in our behavior. The integration of sociological elements and aesthetic aspects in cities could shape the acoustic urban environment. Innovative and green elements enhance the image of cities while providing a sense of place. The importance of having these components is that they promote wellbeing, comfort and enjoyment. Citizens are able to find quiet areas in the middle of urban life which bring harmony, relaxation, and happiness. All these elements dissipate noise and bring tranquility to open spaces, which translate into restorative elements such as parks and car-free zones.
Sound regulation could be implemented in most congested areas to reduce noise pollution. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), noise is responsible for 16,600 premature deaths and more than 72,000 hospitalizations every year in Europe alone.
By establishing regulations that ensure the correct noise management, there could be measures such as ‘quiet zones’ as in the periphery of hospitals, schools, and churches. For instance, Chandigarh, a city of India, is a honk-free city and the offense is punishable by a fine. Also, in the US there are sound restrictions for residential buildings when it comes to music, and it can not be higher than 80 dB. In the UK, general construction work is restricted to workweek hours, and noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays.
Governments along with urban planners have a key role to lead the way to an enjoyable sound environment which can also define the identity of cities.
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[Fig. 1] Reeman Mohammed Rehan, The phonic identity of the city urban soundscape for sustainable spaces, 2016.
[Fig. 2] American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
