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"Sonic empowerment" is a cultural tendency in which sound plays an ever increasing role. Anyone is automatically involved and therefore holds an acoustic competence. Thus, this book focuses not only on the sounds that we hear, but also encourages the perception of sounds in cities as correlations rather than mere audible phenomena. By examining noise legislation, urban planning, sound design, media use, and cultural tendencies, Felix Urban proves the existence of an intertwined audible sphere in urban agglomerations. With Acoustic Competence, he addresses the scientific reader as well as any person interested in the audible sphere of our cities. On the basis of an interdisciplinary perspective, he summarises useful aspects of urban sound and cultural theory, which he then applies in two case studies: A deep dive into the diverse sound cultures of two vibrant and distinct cities-Johannesburg and Berlin.

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Table of Figures

INTRODUCTION
Why sonic empowerment in cultural sonic landscapes?
The methodology
Focus Restriction
Spatial Restriction

CULTURAL SONIC LANDSCAPES: KNOWLEDGE, LISTENING AND SOUND CREATION
Definitions
Sounds - and the Everyday
Listening and Willingness
Cultures and Transformations
Cities and Cultural Landscapes
Politics - and Intended Actions

Knowledge: Politics with Sound and Politics of Noise
Sound politics
Sound Politics and Culture

Listening: Politics of Listening - The Listening Culture
Listening - to Structures
Listening - in Perception Modes
Listening - as Technological Soundscape Encounters
Listening - mobile
Listening - to Relational Spaces
Listening - Local to Lodged Sounds
Listening - Privately or Publically

Sound production: Politics of sound, Political Sound, Acoustic Articulations of Sounding Cultures
Prelude: Difficulties in the nomenclature of sounding cultures
Topography - Structures and Sounding Reverberations
Culture Sounds - and Acoustic Territories
World Sounds - Sounds in Global Order
Culture Sounds - Global and Local Politics
Culture Sounds - Sounds of Politics
Culture Sounds - Politics with Tones
Culture Sounds - Sound is Music, Music is Sound
Culture Sounds - World Music - or the World of Musicians
Culture Sounds - Music Culture Shapes the City

CASE STUDY BERLIN AND JOHANNESBURG
Focus and Spatial Restrictions

Case Study 1: Johannesburg
Acoustic Knowledge - Johannesburg
Listening - to or in Johannesburg
Sound Production: Geräuschkultur in Johannesburg

Case study 2: Berlin
Acoustic Knowledge - Berlin
Listening - to or in Berlin
Sound Production: Geräuschkultur in Berlin

CONCLUSION
Johannesburg - Sounding Identities
Berlin - Protected Listening
Geräuschkulturen in Relation

APPENDIX
Excerpts from an Interview: David B. Coplan
Excerpts from an interview: Constantina Caldis Roberts
Bibliography

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