Monocle's The Urbanist podcast explores urban acoustic ecology to unveil the sonic signature of the coronavirus pandemic, the Greek island of Corfu, and Vienna streetscapes.

Close your eyes and listen to a city street.
Depending on the setting, you may hear a lush acoustic environment or the everpresent lulling hum of resting infrastructure. Each city soundscape is a unique, capricious aural footprint.
A recent episode of Monocle's The Urbanist podcast looks at soundscapes in the built environment, exploring what there is to learn from the sounds of cities.
John Levack Drever, professor of acoustic ecology and sound art at Goldsmiths, University of London, is interested in drawing insight from city soundscapes and understanding the effects of urban sound on living beings both inside and outside of cities. Drever considers acoustic ecology and the study of soundscapes to be more holistic than the study of acoustics, allowing for a more qualitative understanding of sounds and sound-makers.
"Disciplines like acoustics are very focused on sound pressure levels and issues of noise. Acoustic ecology is interested in the quality of sounds, what they mean, all the sounds in a space, and also the hearers—all the people who are listening and sound-making," explains Drever.
Listen to the podcast to hear a series of recordings from the same location in London's Beauchamp Place from 1928 as well as before and after the coronavirus lockdown. Also featured are sounds from Erimitis on the Greek island of Corfu, "a 500 acre biodiverse spot of land with its own sound identity," and Vienna's shifting soundscape.
FULL STORY: Sound and the City

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

DOT Memo Directs Transportation Funding to Communities With Higher Marriage and Birth Rates, Compliance with Immigration Officials and No Mask Mandates
The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.

Washington State E-Bike Rebate Set to Launch in April
The state program will offer up to $1,200 to fund the purchase of electric bikes.

BLM Approves Controversial Oil and Gas Leases on Navajo Land
The parcels are located near a sensitive archaeological site, but some Indigenous leaders approve of the move, which will bring in millions in revenue.

Hong Kong Cab Hailing App Folds — and Uber Takes Over
HKTaxi launched a year before Uber came to town. Now, it’s shutting down. Lawmakers worry a monopoly looms.

Rural Homelessness Could Be Vastly Underestimated, Study Finds
The annual ‘point in time’ count fails to capture the diverse types of situations experienced by unhoused people in rural communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service