This article was developed from a short lecture held at the University of Cambridge's Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities in 2007.

Works by Else Marie Pade (Symphonie Magnétophonique), Jacob Kirkegaard (Broadway) and Christina Kubisch (Electrical Walks) are discussed in terms of their relation to urban sound and the sonic turn in urban studies. The article draws partly on philosopher Jean-Francois Augoyard and sociologist Henry Torgue's appeal to us to reflect on the instrumental dimension of urban space, and the way that sound events are shaped not only by urban context but also by the listener's auditory competence, psychology, culture and background.

The article is published in the Cambridge Architecture Journal 2009, Scroope No. 19.