Sonic inquiry in urban research: advancing policy analysis and design through sound planning

The sonic environment constantly surrounds us, and strongly contributes to give a special atmosphere to every location, a particular ‘sense of the place’, which directly influences the quality of urban environment. This is because atmosphere has the capability to attract or repulse people, to make them feel comfortable or uncomfortable, secure or unsecure: it represents the immaterial framework of the living environment and perfectly reflects the effects of every urban transformation. In particular, urban atmosphere drives people’s experience of everyday public space, and its social and political implications can be finely investigated through sound, especially in regards to those vulnerable areas dealing with critical urban issues (such as depopulation, segregation, transformation and expiration of local identities and intangible cultural heritages), and to those vulnerable citizens who experience social, racial, religious, and gender issues. Is it possible to better acknowledge –and contribute to improve– the atmosphere of a vulnerable urban area undergoing spatial and social transformation by investigating and intervene its sonic environment? What are the related political, social, and cultural implications? The action intends to advance Urban research for urban policy analysis and design by implementing a participatory and collaborative approach to urban sound design, and sound planning tools oriented to vulnerable areas. In particular, the research aims to demonstrate how the investigation of sonic environment can support policy analysis and influence policy design, and aims to explain how the use of urban sound installations and sonic intervention can promote social inclusion, and sustainable local development.