Stereopublic app crowdsources to find cities’ quiet locations

Image via Stereopublic

Stereopublic is an app that strives to help its users find quiet places, building a “sonic health service for built environments.” The app “crowdsources the quiet,” encouraging people to revert back to nature and enjoy more natural sounds rather than horns honking or people chattering in the streets. The app will give your ears a break from chronic quotidian noise, allowing users to find some tranquility during their day. 

Stereopublic’s designer, Jason Sweeney, depicts the app as a tool to help people find peace and solace in the crowded world. In an interview he stated that, “it was very personal desire to think of future cities as having dedicated quiet spaces that were either built into them or to nurture those spaces that already existed… so the idea for the app came about when thinking of a way to make a ‘quiet-seeking’ tool that the public could freely access to participate in this quest for quiet.”

The idea is that people will download the app and tag their favorite quiet spots. To make the experience interactive, users can add pictures, record audio, and file the spot into the different mood categories, as a way to sort the locations. You can then share the audio clips you’ve recorded and the places you’ve visited to your social networks. This creates a collaborative map for a city’s quiet nooks and crannies.

Image via Stereopublic

 
Sweeney’s initial idea was to create the app that based its locations their audio profiles, considering crowds and how they will be in the future. He wanted users to take audio samples of their surroundings and upload them to share their perspectives about their locations. This would allow Sweeney and other users to view how and where people like to spend their downtime. Sweeney’s goal is to have people use the app as a gauge of where they visit. When users find quiet spots, they will document their aural surroundings by taking a 30-second recording of the spot.

Users can make their own songs using the sounds that they record, or snippets that other users upload. Users can also request original song compositions from Stereopublic that can be made by using your sound clips. Walking tours are available in cities that have been activated in Stereopublic, showing people locations that are rarely visited and often forgotten in the city.

Sweeney hopes that the app will create a slow experience for the public to enjoy. He wants people to realize that taking time out of their everyday bustling lives to enjoy a couple of moments dedicated to relaxation and quiet is important.

Stereopublic is available from the iTunes store for iOs systems.

Story via Stereopublic, Wired