The notion of soundscape in the realm of sensuous urbanism. A historical perspective

Abstract

The essay introduces the notion of soundscape and discusses it from a historical perspective, demonstrating how it is rooted in the urban design tradition linked to Kevin Lynch's seminal work on the "sensuous qualities" of the urban environment. Furthermore, it outlines the intersection of this tradition of studies with the cultural revolution that occurred in the Humanities over the last two decades and led to the emergence of Sensory Studies. In conclusion, it presents the work of human geographers, musicians and urban scholars, who have applied the soundscape approach to holistically analyse, represent and design the urban environment.