The sonic niche: a new design tool to enhance and create atmospheres with sounds in the contemporary city

The sonic niche is a design tool I first conceived for the project Soundscapes Oltrarno, in its "digital" version, where we can see it realized through the application of "Spot Sounds" and the use of new digital technologies. I subsequently theorized it in my doctoral dissertation as “a relational sonic space of intimacy and sharing whose changing boundaries are defined each time by its own structural and sound qualities” (Radicchi, 2010). The expressive possibilities offered by the sonic niche, in addition to its digital approach, are many. It is possible to change shapes, materials and soundscapes according to the purpose to be achieved and the place of its setting. The paper presents several design projects where the sonic niche was applied to enhance and create urban atmospheres in the city of Florence (IT): Soundscapes Oltrarno, SMLXL, Le Piagge: Listen!