Facing page- Bigger, brighter, louder festivities. Image credit: Author
INTRODUCTION The presence of loud sounds is ubiquitous in all cities. It is significant of the dynamic nature of cities where many different scales and varieties of activity happen simultaneously, contributing to urban life. It is an elaborate orchestra performed by the collective sounds in the urban environment referred to as the soundscape. Sound is an important component of cities that determines how we perceive an urban place and its quality of life.1 In planning cities or designing buildings, sound has rarely been identified as a modifier, and often seen as a byproduct of urbanization. In discussions about the sensory experience of the city, the visible sights take precedence over what is heard, felt or smelt. Sound as the science of acoustics, and noise pollution’s impact on human health are subjects that have a firm research basis. What we require today is a shift towards an understanding about the need to study sounds in the urban environment to have a positive impact in planning and design. In the urbanizing world, the percentage of green cover and open spaces are declining at a fast rate; every last inch of land is getting acquired and built upon. However, there is little awareness of the fact that the dwindling natural environment in the urban setup has a deep impact on our physical and mental well-being. To understand this, all one is required to do is to take a walk – a walk in the city, and a walk in the woods. Not all experiences in urban living are unpleasant or have a negative impact but life in cities that overtly disregard their pedestrians is fraught with difficulties. Once identified with dreams and possibilities, cities are now ever growing in noise and chaos. The allure of the countryside has always been a prospect for many to leave the city, and escape into rural life that is closer to the natural environment. But it also attracts the staunch lovers of the big noisy city, who take timely vacations in remote areas, sometimes specifically designed to evoke visceral experiences. There are umpteen differences between the life of the two. As Ebenezer Howard writes on Garden Cities2 - The Country declares herself to be the source of all beauty and wealth; There are in the country beautiful vistas, lordly parks, violet-scented woods, fresh air, sounds of rippling water, comfort; and the pure air to gladden the hearts of the people. The closer we are to nature, the closer we are to sounds generated from a natural source that are pleasing to the ears, have a positive impact on the brain, and that are known to relieve stress and fatigue, the hallmarks of city living. Natural sounds are also an important entry into the mystery of life, a kind of aural portal or window into the complexity and diversity around us. In an age where so many things seem to be known or knowable, there are many sounds that essentially convey a mystery and wildness that we lack in other dimensions of life.3
1 Thomas Elmqvist, 2013, The Nature of Cities, accessed 5th June 2016, http://www. thenatureofcities.com/2013/08/25/designing-the-urban-soundscape/ 2 Howard, E 1902, Garden Cities of To-Morrow, Swan Sonnenschien & Co. Ltd., London, pg. 16 3 Tim Beatley, 2013, The Nature of Cities, accessed 5th June 2016, http://www.thenatureofcities. com/2013/01/13/celebrating-the-natural-soundscapes-of-cities/
June 2016 | CITY OBSERVER
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