Why I Started Saying “Happy Birding” Instead of “Good Morning”
Okay so this is going to make me sound unhinged, but I’ve started greeting people based on what birds I heard that morning instead of just saying “good morning.” “Happy Robin!” “Lovely Crow Day!” “Hope you’re enjoying Scrub-Jay Season!” Some people look at me like I’ve lost it. Some people play along. One person asked […]
I Recorded Silence for a Week and It Was Deeply Uncomfortable
A few weeks ago, I decided to do something that sounded simple on paper: record one minute of the “quietest moment” I experienced each day for seven days. Turns out, finding actual quiet is way harder than I expected. And also way more unsettling than it has any right to be. Day one, I’m standing […]
The Whistle as Signal: Protest, Protection, and the Soundscape of Resistance
In cities and towns across the United States, a new soundmark is emerging. Not the familiar sounds of traffic, construction, or commerce, but the sharp, sustained blast of whistles, blown by residents warning their neighbors that federal agents are nearby. The whistle is having a moment. And it’s worth exploring why. The Acoustic Properties of […]
Urban Revitalization Through Pop Culture: The Miami Vice Case Study
How a television soundtrack helped shape my path from electronic music to urban planning A Personal Connection I was a teenager when I first heard Jan Hammer’s synthesizer-driven theme for Miami Vice. That pulsing, neon-soaked sound became imprinted on my mind in ways I wouldn’t fully realize until years later. While other kids were captivated […]
Why I Stopped Telling People To “Just Listen”
I used to be really annoying about listening. Like, genuinely insufferable. Someone would complain about noise and I’d be like “well actually, if you just listened more mindfully to your acoustic environment…” Someone would say they found silence uncomfortable and I’d launch into this whole lecture about cultivating deep listening practices. I was that person. […]
The Freeway Paradox: Why the Loudest Sounds Are the Easiest to Ignore
Tom McCall Waterfront Park sits right next to I-5. If you’ve ever been there, you know: the freeway is loud. Constant white noise baseline. It doesn’t stop. It doesn’t pause. It just is. Here’s the weird thing. When I took practitioners on soundwalks through the park, do you know what sound they noticed most? Not […]
The Sound of Rain (And Why We’re Obsessed With It)
So I have this embarrassing habit where I pay $4.99 a month for a rain sounds app.
Let me repeat that: I literally pay money every month to listen to fake rain on my phone while actual free rain is happening outside my window approximately 200 days a year because I live in Portland.
Welcome to My Soniferous World
I’m Kenya Williams, and if you’re here, you probably care about sound in some way. Maybe you’re curious about soundscapes. Maybe you’re an urban planner trying to figure out how acoustic environments fit into your work. Maybe you just really love listening to stuff and want to nerd out about it with someone who gets it.
The Sonic Gentrification of Coffee Shops (Yes, Really)
There’s this coffee shop I used to love. Emphasis on used to.
It was chaotic and loud and kind of grimy in that perfect Portland way. People actually talked to each other. Local musicians would set up in the corner unannounced. The espresso machine was ancient and screamed like a banshee.