Bir İletişim Aracı Olarak Kentsel Ses Manzarası

The article highlights selected themes related to the urban soundscape as a meaningful system of messages. It serves to introduce the topic of the urban soundscape (audiosphere) and its research, primarily from a social science perspective referring to so-called sensuous urbanism and some classic researchers such as R. Murray Schafer and Kevin Lynch. Than it refers to the pilot study of social aspects of the urban audiosphere of Bialystok (Poland), conducted by researchers from the Institute of Sociology at the University of Bialystok in years 2022-2023. The aforementioned research tested the possibilities of using sound walks as a method. The article elaborates on advantages and disadvantages of such method combined with more or less structured ways of evaluation of soundscape. Finally, the article focuses on significant differences in individual interpretations of the urban soundscape among the participants of the sound walks and elaborates on the role of silence and noise as meaningful categories.