Potential and pitfalls of using service design to facilitate soundscape thinking in city making

Abstract

Soundscape thinking - i.e., the capability to consider the experiential possibilities offered by a sound environment - has been characterized as critical for all those design activities connected to city making. Yet, traditional design disciplines operating within the urban domain (architecture, urban planning, service design, etc.) do not routinely engage with processes that systematically identify, control, and change soundscapes. This paper explores how customized service design methods - user journey, service blueprint, and a facilitation toolkit - have been envisioned and piloted within the context of a service design project anchored to the main football stadium of Copenhagen. These methods allowed the service designers and stakeholders involved in the participatory design project to understand existing soundscapes and tweak them by adapting specific touchpoints.