Recomposing the City: How Sound Can Make Better Cities

Dr Sarah Lappin (QUB), Dr Gascia Ouzounian (Oxford University) and Rachel O’Grady (QUB) This presentation draws on findings of a research project funded by a three year grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project seeks to understand how sound can be understood in post-conflict cities. After several months in Berlin and Bonn researching how sound artists have impacted on the way these cities are considered by designers and policy makers, the project team conducted a series of workshops in Belfast in September 2016.  Participants at these workshops hailed from a wide spectrum across Northern Ireland, including: Ards and North Down Borough Council, Belfast City Council and Mid Ulster District Council; Belfast Harbour Commissioners; Belfast Healthy Cities; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs; Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership; Belfast Health Development Unit, and; several private sector design companies. This presentation presents evidence that careful consideration of sound in planning cities can improve many issues including: health and well-being; economic vibrancy; sustainable development, and; inclusive, shared spaces.  It illustrates these possibilities through a series of projects from both the UK and around the world in which designers and sound artists worked together to improve cities in a variety of ways. This seminar took place on 28 February 2018 Download: Policy Briefing Presentation