Talk on HearHere - a Participatory Noise Mapping approach by Zino Wellauer at the International Max Planck Research School (LIFE) in Virginia
During my recent visit to the International Max Planck Research School LIFE, I had the opportunity to present my participatory noise mapping project HearHere to an international group of researchers working on human behavior across the lifespan. The current IMPRS LIFE program focuses on human behavior from infancy to old age in the context of physical, social, and cultural environments, making it an especially fitting setting for a project that examines how people shape, navigate, and are affected by urban sound environments. LIFE is an international research community with four sites in Berlin, Ann Arbor, Charlottesville, and Zurich, and currently brings together around 120 faculty members and more than 60 fellows.
In my talk, I introduced HearHere as a participatory citizen science project that maps urban soundscape hotspots in Zurich through the lived experiences of diverse hearing populations. The project combines short geo-referenced audio recordings with subjective ratings such as loudness, valence, arousal, annoyance, and stress, allowing us to study both objective acoustic features and the highly individual ways urban noise is perceived and experienced. I also highlighted how the project aims to inform inclusive urban planning by identifying not only stressful auditory hotspots but also potential acoustic relief zones.
It was a special honor to give the final talk of the conference, and I was very pleased by how positively it was received. Throughout the academy, I had many inspiring conversations with experts from different disciplines, leading to fruitful exchanges on research, methodology, and broader questions around environment, behavior, and public health. The atmosphere of close international exchange was one of the most valuable aspects of the visit and left me highly motivated for the coming months.
The trip also carried a personal dimension, as I had approached it with some uncertainty given the current political climate in the United States. In the end, I experienced a warm welcome and was reminded how important continued academic exchange can be, especially at times when colleagues may feel uncertain about the broader situation. For me, the visit was not only scientifically enriching, but also a strong reminder of the value of international research communities and solidarity across institutions.