Sound-Frameworks · Collaborative frameworks for integrating sound within urban design and planning processes

Collaborative frameworks for integrating sound within urban design and planning processes

Sound-Frameworks explores the role of sound within urban design and spatial planning practices to advance new methodologies for working with sound in the context of the public realm. Efforts to understand the role of sound and listening in the public realm require increased support in policy and legislation. Sound is linked to the spatial, functional, social and psychological dimensions of the public realm, and must be addressed within urban design and planning initiatives to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including primarily SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) alongside SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 5 (Gender Equality), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 13 (Climate Action), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Sound-Frameworks advances the role of sound in urban design and planning practice through three objectives: (1) To develop a sound-in-practice survey to reflect insight concerning working with sound in the public realm from practitioners involved in city-making processes; (2) To distil a series of guidelines from this survey; and (3) To develop a design tool that integrates sound-related objectives in public realm projects in the context of architecture, urban design and spatial planning. Key findings: 1. Efforts to include considerations of sound in the design and planning of the public realm remain under-resourced, despite the crucial role that sound and listening play in determining the sustainability of public spaces within progressively densifying urban territories inhabited by increasingly diverse populations. 2. Urban design and spatial planning practitioners recognise limitations in quantitative approaches to working with sound via methods that prioritise noise mitigation and are eager to audition methods to address sound on a subjective basis in response to different projects, sites and publics. 3. The obstacle to implementing new methods for working with sound in the public realm is that although it is possible to identify sound-related objectives, such objectives are often value-engineered out of projects due to a misperception that they are optional targets as opposed to key requirements. 4. To advance new methodologies for working with sound in the public realm, it is necessary to identify the value they add to larger design processes. 5. Instead of addressing sound as a standalone parameter, linking sound with other dimensions of the public realm (such as sustainability, equity and mobility) allows practitioners to identify the value of working with sound in the context of their own skills and objectives. 6. There are multiple approaches to working with sound and to defining what constitutes the public realm. Therefore there is not one singular approach to working with sound in the design of the public realm, but a plurality of approaches that can be led by architects, acousticians, artists, developers, community groups and many others. 7. It is necessary to support this plurality of approaches to working with sound in the public realm to extend standards in this domain, such as the ISO Soundscape Standard (ISO 12913-1:2014, ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, ISO/TS 12913-3:2019 and ISO/AWI TS 12913-4). 8. Sound-related objectives can be introduced at any stage of the urban design process, including strategic definition, preparation and briefing, concept design, spatial coordination, technical design, manufacturing and construction, handover and use. 9. Practice focused on sound in the public realm remains influenced by sound art, sound studies and alternative spatial practices, as this domain is yet to be fully adopted in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and spatial planning. 10. It is necessary to address sound within architectural and urban design education to encourage this form of practice.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union