The Lonely City Hum
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2025-05-14
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en
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This thesis explores how creative sonic research can contribute to existing knowledge on urban loneliness and its sensorial dimensions among young adults in Amsterdam. By investigating the auditory textures of urban life, the research aims to deepen the understanding of how loneliness is experienced not only emotionally but also through the senses—particularly sound. Central to this project is lonelycityhum.com, a digital platform designed to make the sonic experience of urban loneliness accessible and tangible for a wider audience. The soundscapes created offer immersive insight into what it might feel—and sound—like to navigate Amsterdam as a lonely young adul.
This creative approach enhances awareness of the often-overlooked sensory experiences embedded in urban life, contributing a new dimension to urban studies and loneliness research. The findings reaffirm and contemporize classical urban theories, such as Georg Simmel’s notion of the blasé attitude and Louis Wirth’s insights into urban social life, illustrating their continued relevance in the context of 21st-century creative methodologies.
In addition to contributing to academic discourse, this project also served as a personal and methodological challenge—merging traditional scholarship with creative research practices and design. The result is a multidisciplinary exploration that not only generates knowledge but also fosters empathy, critical engagement, and ongoing curiosity about how we listen to and understand our cities—and each other.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen