Taming the Noise: Soundscape and Livability in a Technocratic City-State

Abstract For hypergrowing Singapore, noise is an issue of everyday life. As a public problem, noise can be very relative because it deeply relates to the level of tolerance, while tolerance to noise is socially conditioned. But in a city where virtually every public issue is subject to technocratic handling, sound and noise are considered techno-environmental problems that require technocratic remedies. Drawing on the growing literature on soundscape and sound studies, this research note seeks to examine how sound and noise are being problematized in the urban spaces of Singapore. Our research note will examine a case of how cross-cutting issues of sound/noise, technology, and livability manifest at the neighborhood-level. In particular, we will draw upon our ethnographic study to explore noise issues in a high density neighborhood in Singapore. Focusing on one high density neighborhood, our study provides interesting insights into the challenges of devising policies/plans for postcolonial modern cities in a state of perpetual flux. It also shows how technocratic handling faces limitations in dealing with urban noise and public responses in the context of changing soundscapes.