What Does the Livable City Sound Like? Analyzing Public Communication in Vancouver, Canada

Abstract

Background: Livability has suffered from lack of engagement with the sensory aspects of urban life. Analysis: This article offers a content and discourse analysis of the keywords sound, noise, and livability found in two types of public communication streams in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: local news media and public city planning documents. Conclusion and implications: The analysis finds a critical missing link between neoliberal discourses on “livability” and considerations of sound and noise as important aspects of the urban experience. We suggest ways in which public discourses shape this gap, and how public communication on sound can inform richer considerations of urban livability.