Taking care of sonic identity : local development between urban sound art and planning

How can we encourage local development through the development of listening practices? This paper focuses on the relationship between urban sound art and planning by in- quiring into participatory strategies that can stimulate sonic awareness. Sonic awareness contributes here to the development of urban and regional policies, revealing the potential of sonic identities. In this research, I show how enacting critical listening can become a tool of empower- ment both for institutions and citizens, and I examine the main outcomes and perspectives emerging from my participatory sound art project “Listening Closely” developed in 2015 in the southern Italian village of San Cipriano Picentino.