The sound of a new decade
Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 22:41
admin in Listening, acoustics, urban

First of all: a wonderful 2010 to all readers of Everyday Listening! May this new year be an inspiring one! Next to entering a new year we are also at the beginning of a new decade. The 00’s are over, and the world is in a vibrant state.

The soundscape of the world around us is changing all the time. The world is like an instrument, and if we change the material the instrument is made of, we change its size or we tighten its strings, its sound will change accordingly.

What can we expect to hear the next ten years? Each place in the world has its own unique sound (listen to some examples in the Places category), so we will not be able to describe the sound of the whole world. But there are many common sound sources in Western societies we all recognize.

We’re slowly reaching the end of the era of oil, and more and more alternatives will appear. If cars become electric, the traffic noise in cities might decrease dramatically. At higher speeds the noise of the tires drowns out the engine noise anyway, so a highway will still be heard at almost the same volume. At lower speeds though, we will hear a huge difference.

Next to cars we will see many electrically mopeds and bikes. It will be a relief to get rid of the noise those things tend to make (and the dirty smell they leave behind). Because of the quietness of these new machines we might hear a lot more horns honking to warn inattentive pedestrians and cyclists on the streets.

I would be very happy with a cleaner and quieter city. What else will change? What can we do to create a more pleasant sounding environment? Do you have an idea?

Photo by ibm4381

Article originally appeared on Sound Art, Sound Installations, Sonic Inspiration (http://www.everydaylistening.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.