Soundwalks as Sensewalks: The Case for Integrated Sensewalks

Smart city concepts are mainly technological concepts, which is why IT firms, in particular, have rediscovered the city. But cities should not only provide for efficient management, they should also ensure a high quality of life. Health and wellbeing are concepts that rely heavily on subjective factors. Therefore, subjective perceptions of the environment need to be taken more seriously. Soundwalking is a well-established method of qualitative research, even referred to in the ISO norm for soundscapes - which is hardly surprising since noise is a major stressor for human health. But there are other important stressors for health and wellbeing - such as artificial light and smell - which have not yet gained as much recognition. Sensewalks are gaining momentum in urban studies. Drawing on experiences with soundwalking, we began to experiment with combined sound- and lightwalks. This combination comes with its own requirements and specificities, but the results underpin the relevance of integrated sensewalks for a better understanding of urban environments and a more adequate approach to urban planning. Based on a short overview of the methods and the results of combined sound- and lightwalks and a rough classification of combined sensewalks and their potentials, I will argue the case for a broader view of integrated sensewalks.