explore · Mindfulness, Knowledge Sharing, Empathy · 30–60 min · 2-25 people · low energy
Soundwalk
The group walks a route in silence with one purpose: listening. People start with the sounds of their own steps and breath, then move outward to near and far sounds, and notice which are continuous, which come and go, and what they reveal about the place. Afterwards the group compares what it heard.
When to use Soundwalk
Use on a place-based or design offsite (a site visit, a neighbourhood project, a new office) to notice how a place actually works, or as a calm opener for a group that talks too fast.
What it solves
Teams judge a place by how it looks on a map or in photos and miss how it feels to be there.
How to run Soundwalk, step by step
- Set the route and agree to walk in silence, spaced out a little (5 min).
- Listen to your own sounds first: steps, breath, clothes (5 min).
- Walk and widen your listening: near, middle, far. Notice continuous sounds, intermittent ones, rhythms (15-30 min).
- Stop at two or three points and stand still for a minute of pure listening.
- Regroup and share: what did you hear, what surprised you, what does it tell us about this place? (10-15 min)
Materials needed
- A walking route
- Notebooks
- Optional: phones for audio recording
Facilitator tips
- Plan the route with sound contrasts: a busy road, a courtyard, water, an underpass.
- Check for traffic crossings; people listening hard may not look as carefully.
- People with hearing loss can take part by including felt vibration and visual signs of sound.
Common pitfalls
- People chat in pairs as they walk and the listening never deepens.
- Only quiet, pretty routes are chosen, so the group misses the noise that shapes daily life there.
Variations
- Partner soundwalk: one person walks with eyes closed, guided by the other.
- Sound map: sit still and map sounds around you on paper.
Running it online or hybrid
Remote people can walk their own neighbourhoods with the same prompts and share recordings or notes in the debrief.
What it produces
A list or sketch map of the sounds of the place, with notes on what they say about how it is used.
Origin
Named by the World Soundscape Project under R. Murray Schafer in Vancouver in the 1970s; Hildegard Westerkamp's 1974 text 'Soundwalking' is the reference description. — source
Build a session around Soundwalk
METODIC places Soundwalk inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.