Sounds are specific to space, yet much of the critique of urban space within social theory fails to address the social and cultural significance of sound in the shaping of spatial practices. This thesis provides an in-depth argument for the inclusion of sound as formative in the social construction and shaping of urban spaces, and mobile mediation practices within the urban. This thesis: (1) advances theories of sound within sociology; (2) contributes new data on sound in urban development and spatial use; (3) interrogates the role of mobile mediation in navigating spaces of regeneration, and (4) explores these concepts with young teenagers. This research examines sound and the urban using Lefebvre’s theory of space, particularly his theorization of symbolic spaces. It also offers a critique of the politicizing and policing of noise within the EU, as well as Ireland’s adoption of quantitative models to measure sound.
The study examines the Smithfield area in Dublin, Ireland by using a triadic
methodological approach (combining sound mapping, soundwalking and focus
groups) to explore the urban soundscape of young teenagers. The outcome of this sociological investigation is that: teenagers employ mobile technologies to enhance their experiences within silent spaces, urban spaces are defined as participatory and engaging only if they contain the sounds of consumption, and that silence, within a city, is defined as problematic and dangerous - a symptom of poverty and the current recession.