Abstract

This thesis provides an in-depth argument for the inclusion of sound as formative in the social construction and shaping of urban spaces, and mobile mediation practices within the urban. This thesis: (1) advances theories of sound within sociology; (2) contributes new data on sound in urban development and spatial use; (3) interrogates the role of mobile mediation in navigating spaces of regeneration, and (4) explores these concepts with young teenagers. This research examines sound and the urban using Lefebvre’s theory of space, particularly his theorization of symbolic spaces. It also offers a critique of the politicizing and policing of noise within the EU, as well as Ireland’s adoption of quantitative models to measure sound