Soundscapes of Cities
Type
Publication
Authors
Category
Article
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Publication Year
1994
URL
[ private ]
Abstract
Originally presented at the Symposium From Bauhaus to Soundscape, Goethe Institut Tokyo, October 1994, slightly revised June 2014.
"Originally this text was presented at the Symposium From Bauhaus to Soundscape, hosted by the Goethe Institute Tokyo, Oct. 6, 1994. I compared the soundscapes of two cities, Brasilia, Capital of Brazil, and New Delhi, Capital of India. After I had conducted extensive soundscape workshops in both cities between 1992 and 1994, I was struck by the enormous contrasts between them. Both are government cities of very different dimensions and age. I discussed them from the perspective of the visitor, the travelling outsider and focused my talk on a few sonic aspects of each city, comparing these with each other.
It is now June 2014 and after re-reading the original text, I decided to leave it more or less unchanged for today’s readers. Since I have not returned to either city since the late nineties, I cannot competently update my observations to today’s state of affairs. Much has changed in both cities, most of all population size and traffic density. However, the fundamental issues that I am highlighting in this article will not have changed significantly, they may in fact need more urgent attention. Where necessary and possible I will of course adjust and update the text accordingly.
The first sound a visitor usually hears in any new city from the hotel window is the sound of traffic. The next sounds usually are those that stand out from city ambiences, such as signals and soundmarks. And lastly the visitor, if staying long enough, will gradually become sensitive to the soundscapes of the city’s inhabitants. I will discuss the two cities’ soundscapes approximately in this order..."
"Originally this text was presented at the Symposium From Bauhaus to Soundscape, hosted by the Goethe Institute Tokyo, Oct. 6, 1994. I compared the soundscapes of two cities, Brasilia, Capital of Brazil, and New Delhi, Capital of India. After I had conducted extensive soundscape workshops in both cities between 1992 and 1994, I was struck by the enormous contrasts between them. Both are government cities of very different dimensions and age. I discussed them from the perspective of the visitor, the travelling outsider and focused my talk on a few sonic aspects of each city, comparing these with each other.
It is now June 2014 and after re-reading the original text, I decided to leave it more or less unchanged for today’s readers. Since I have not returned to either city since the late nineties, I cannot competently update my observations to today’s state of affairs. Much has changed in both cities, most of all population size and traffic density. However, the fundamental issues that I am highlighting in this article will not have changed significantly, they may in fact need more urgent attention. Where necessary and possible I will of course adjust and update the text accordingly.
The first sound a visitor usually hears in any new city from the hotel window is the sound of traffic. The next sounds usually are those that stand out from city ambiences, such as signals and soundmarks. And lastly the visitor, if staying long enough, will gradually become sensitive to the soundscapes of the city’s inhabitants. I will discuss the two cities’ soundscapes approximately in this order..."
Description
https://www.hildegardwesterkamp.ca/writings/writingsby/?post_id=22&title=soundscapes-of-cities
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