ReSilence Policy Brief: Beyond Decibels: Towards Sonic Urbanism

We are presenting the ReSilence Policy Brief, “Beyond Decibels: Towards Sonic Urbanism”. Developed by the ReSilence consortium, the briedf translates our empirical findings, methodological insights, and stakeholder feedback into actionable recommendations for European, national, and municipal decision-makers. As European cities face increasing pressures from population density and mobility transitions, current policy responses continue to rely primarily on decibel-based thresholds. Drawing on 15 art-technology residency projects and the comprehensive ReSilence Toolkit, this brief advocates for a crucial shift: moving away from strict noise mitigation toward a participatory, experiential soundscape approach that addresses psychoacoustic quality, sensory diversity, and integrated mobility.

Highlights from the Policy Brief include:

• Evolving beyond decibels: Urban sound policy must expand past numerical limits to embrace overall soundscape quality, livability, and calmness.
• A new perspective: The driving question for city planners is no longer “How loud is the city?” but rather “How do we listen the city?”.
• Transdisciplinary planning: Our artistic-scientific experiments demonstrate how architecture, mobility, neurodiversity, and creative methods can directly shape next-generation sound policies.
• Actionable Toolkits: The brief recommends that cities and regions implement an Urban Sound Experience Toolkit to evaluate affective and experiential sound qualities using inclusive, non-extractive methods like soundwalks and embodied listening.

Shifting our focus from simple noise reduction to “Sonic Urbanism,” we can design smart cities that are not only technologically advanced but deeply attuned to the diverse, subjective experiences of their inhabitants.

Download the full Policy Brief below to discover how national and EU actors can strengthen frameworks for mobility, accessibility, and cultural participation through sound.