I've lived in a very small village, a small-to-medium town, and in Montreal; and each have their own soundscape. It's quite fascinating to see how one element can go from a simple background sound to the most obnoxious sound in the world. A good example of this being airplanes. In big cities, especially if you live relatively close to an airport, airplanes flying overhead are so common every hour that the sound they make fades into the background and is part of the expected and tolerable sound repertoire. However in a small remote village in farmland and forests, the odd airplane every month or so can be rather surprising and unusually loud, and most certainly much more noticeable than the dozens of planes flying in and out of Montreal.

Having left Chicago for DC, I realize now how much the sound of the L harms the city. I would bet Chicago would be a different place if they got rid of the L noise. 

A tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.

99% Invisible-01- 99% Noise

A tiny radio show about design, architecture &amp; the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.

http://99percentinvisible.org/

New episodes every Wednesday.

On the radio on 91.7 KALW in San Francisco. Fridays at 7:35am and 4:30pm, Saturdays at 8:35am.  And public radio stations across the country.

Created by Roman Mars.


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