Excessive noise, particularly from street performers, can sound the demise of pedestrian zones. After 18 years, Sai Yeung Choi Street South will reopen to cars. Another solution could have been better noise regulation, says a district councilor disappointed with the decision. That option seemed to work in a simulation project on the street.

Gallaudet University has interior design and architecture built with the needs and preferences of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in mind. By analyzing the effects of lighting, color, space, and other design principles emphatically, restaurants and other public spaces can be similarly accommodating for individuals with different hearing abilities.

Though cities around the world range in size, demographics, and countless other factories, they share a common trait: cities are loud. The app Hush City offers an easy way to find a quiet space amid the noise. The app uses crowdsourced data to report on quiet, and not so quiet, areas in densely populated areas around the world.

The city of Eindhoven is piloting a handful of experiments to reduce alcohol-induced violence. They include "sound cameras" that trigger when someone is yelling, to cameras that measure crowd density, both of which prompt police to go to the affected area to investigate. Although the algorithms aren't perfect and sometimes there are false alarms, the city is still pushing forward with the goal of making the streets safer for all.