Soundwalking as a methodology for understanding soundscapes

TLDR

Soundwalking, devised by R. Murray Schafer in the late 1960s and 1970s, is an empirical method for identifying soundscape components across different locations. This study develops soundwalking as a sociological methodology and uses it to engage urban design professionals in exploring people’s experiences and perceptions of the acoustic urban environment. The method consists of walking through urban areas while directing attention to sounds rather than sights, observing everyday practices to understand how individuals relate the soundscape to built infrastructure.

Abstract

Soundwalking is a practice that was devised by R. Murray Schafer, when he established the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is an empirical method for identifying a soundscape and components of a soundscape in various locations. In the EPSRC-funded Positive Soundscapes Project (Davies et al, 2007) we have utilized and adapted this concept of soundwalking into a sociological methodolgy for identifying and understanding people’s experiences and perceptions of the acoustic urban environment. Our soundwalk is a walk around an urban area where the senses are directed towards the sounds that are heard rather than the more commonplace sights that are viewed. We focus on everyday practices, as people move around and within the city environment with a view to understanding their professional and/or personal impressions of the relationships between the soundscape and the built infrastructure. This paper describes the development of the soundwalking methodology and its use as a tool to engage professionals who work in the area of urban design and urban development (including city planners, developers, and architects). The paper does not report on the findings of this project as data collection is currently ongoing but rather reflects on the utility of soundwalking as a methodological practice.