Stadt- und Regionalökonomie
Beyond the Noise: Open Source Soundscapes
Timeframe: April 2016 - April 2018

Team

Project LeaderDr. Antonella Radicchi (TU Berlin) 
Project supervisorsProf. Dr. Dietrich Henckel (TU Berlin) & M.A. Jörg Kaptain (Berlin Senate, Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection) 

Abstract

The “Beyond the Noise: Open Source Soundscapes” project deals with the issue of noise pollution. It experiments with a novel mixed methodology in order to identify, assess and plan small, quiet areas on the neighborhood scale, by actively involving local communities and using novel open source technology, with the ultimate goal of making quietness available to everyone.

This methodology, based on the “open source soundscapes” approach, is validated through the development of a pilot study in the Reuterkiez, a Berlin neighborhood affected by environmental injustice and noise pollution. In this pilot study, citizens are involved in crowdsourcing data related to “everyday quiet areas” by means of interviews, soundwalks and using a novel mobile technology: the “HUSH CITY” app. The contents generated in the project will result in the “Reuterkiez Everyday Quiet Areas Atlas” – a participative management plan aimed at protecting the existing small, quiet areas and planning new ones.

Follow-Up Project

Hush City Mobile Lab