An essay by urban planner Daphne Bouman on the livability of a city from an auditorial perspective.
Constant exposure to noise pollution effects our mood: it can lead to increased stress levels, restlessness, anxiety and even signs of depression. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment mentions environmental sounds as one the themes of a healthy living environment. The kinds of noise can differ from mobility such as cars and vans, aircrafts and wind turbines. Furthermore the situation can differ, who or what creates the sound and is it an expected sound? And finally, the perception of noise depends on the person. These three factors determine the degree of noise pollution. As cities are growing and the buzz is getting bigger, silence becomes more rare. Can we equally share quietness in the city?
The development of urbanization and the increase of tourist visits, makes cities in the Netherlands more crowded than ever before. Since national policy is focused inpansion, or densifying cities, the streets will become more crowded. Which also means that public spaces and parks will offer less tranquility.At the same time, new residential buildings are placed at unpreferable locations such as closer to train tracks or rail ways. Especially social housing is often located on the less favored locations ina neighborhood. The building quality such as isolation and noise canceling materials will play amore important role on those location. The question is; are those materials really adjusted at those buildings. Or is some quietness the new luxury?
In an individually evolving city, one can see on the streets how people are escaping from loud noises. City dwellers are pushing out the sounds of the city with their EarPods with music, podcasts and noise cancelling technologies. Yoga studios and other relaxing sport facilities emerge in Western cities. Could this also be caused by the increasing fuss on the streets? It is important for people’s health to have a place to find some rest, in a time of rising mental problems and stress, quiet places should not be too scarce. Not every city neighborhood has the same accessibility to quiet areas. In the case of a just division of noise pollution within a city, planners should consider placing privately-owned housing at the louder locations. Home owners can choose where to buy or not to buy a house they would like live and that suits their lifestyle. Social Housers are mostly likely not in the position to move homes easily whenever they feel it is better for them. When designing a more dense city, take the just city into account in a way that people living in social housing and often already dealing with a lot of stress, are the ones who deserve a more silent living environment. Make use of soundscape maps in order to find out where the bottle necks are hidden.
How can architects, designers and urban planners facility a more just and quiet city? Design interventions can be crucial to making a city more livable. Of course sufficient isolation will help to keep the noise outside of the home. What we already see happening is the use of silent asphalt on high ways. This sound reducing asphalt in which small rubber particles are mixed with asphalt. Even the way we build houses the urban environment can influence the experienced noise. A field lab research from TU Delft (Martijn Lugten) proved in a field lab in Hoofddorp that the positioning of houses and streets influence the reflection of sounds of in this case aircrafts. Not only theurban design, but also types of porous materials can absorb sound.
One way to adapt to this plan is to adjust greenery on facades, explains sound expert ErikRoelofsen in a podcast of De Correspondent (podcast 23 augustus 2024). Natural fibers of leaves mute the reverberation of the sounds. Furthermore, the perception and the type of the sound can also play a role in the experience of noise. Sounds of nature, such as wind blowing through tree leaves or birds tjirping can be less stressful then the sound of mechanical cars or loud music of your neighbor. Moreover, more natural textures in busy street will also contribute to mute the sounds of the streets. If all buildings would be covered with ivy plants, streets will be a lot more quiet.There are endless small design solutions to think of. Is there really a way to find the perfect balance between quietness and city life? Is there such a thing? Talking about the sound of the city has been a topic for decades, maybe it will forever be discussed since the perception of sound varies per person and lifestyle. Sound pollution is dependent on technological solutions but is also an emotional excercise.
What more is possible? Can we create a noise-canceling city with the same technologies used in our headphones? Is society ready for these kinds of big technological ‘black mirror’ impacts on a street level? How far can the smart city go?On a critical note; sound can also be as sign of the authentic city, what does it mean for the city life when sounds are fading? Is a silent city a sign of less livable streets where no one wants to spend time anymore? “The sound of gentrification is silence” wrote Xochitl Gonzalex in TheAtlantic. Is a silent and quiet city something we really want in an urban area? A city should also be a place for imperfection, to leave some room for the alternatives and experimental activities. In the book Smooth City, autor René Boer states that a city should be imperfect with room for doing things otherwise. This can also be the case for the sound acceptation in a city. The right balance between more subdued and vivid streets and neighbourhoods should be the ultimate urban sphere.
House Of Narrative storyteller Daphne Bouman is an urban planner based in Amsterdam with a passion for architecture and history. As a project leader and curator at the Architecture Centre of Amsterdam, she navigates the dynamic landscape of a constantly evolving city. Daphne is drawn to the contradictions and frictions that emerge in urban development, always looking for ways to address them creatively.
Boer, R. (2023). Smooth City: Against Urban Perfection, Towards Collective Alternatives; Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Atlas van de leefomgeving: Geluid; Gonzalex, X. (2022). Why do rich people love quiet? The sound of gentrification is silence. The Atlantic; McMullan, T. (2019). Cities are louder than ever - and it’s the poor who suffer most. The Guardian; Lutgen, M. (2021). TU Delft Stories: Building differently to combat aircraft noise. AMS Institute; Podcast De Correspondent (2024). Tamar Stelling - Slapeloze nachten door de airco van de buren? Geluidsexpert Erik helpt; Wolfe, C. (2012). Telling a City’s Story Through Sound: New efforts to document soundscapes, past and present. Bloomberg CityLab.
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