In the column “Listen with…” Soundtrackcity interviews residents from De Pijp about the meaning of sound in their lives. What sounds do they hear and what sounds do they find appropriate in their living environment? For this second episode we speak to Noa de Goede (23) who grew up at the Sarphatipark.
Amsterdam character
Noa loves the lively sounds in the Pijp area. She loves the hustle and bustle of the Albert Cuyp market, where merchants advertise their wares with a nice Amsterdam accent. Yet she notices that the real Amsterdam character is disappearing a bit. Nowadays, you increasingly hear the honking of electric VanMoofs and the voices of expats in the neighborhood.
Noa grew up in Jan Steenstraat near Sarphatipark and lived there until she was twenty. Now she lives in New-West at the Sloterplas but regularly returns to her familiar neighborhood. Sounds that characterized her childhood in De Pijp, such as the barking of dogs in Sarphatipark and the sound of a gentleman playing the harmonica on the Albert Cuyp, still evoke warm memories. That harmonica sound is truly iconic to Noa; it was always there when there was a market. There seems to be less room for this kind of unique and crazy stuff these days.
Noord/zuid line
According to Noa, De Pijp has changed at breakneck speed since the opening of the North/South Line. Throughout her childhood, the North/South Line was under construction; she grew up with the accompanying construction noise. Once the subway ran, gentrification accelerated dramatically. She felt that her familiar neighborhood was slowly disappearing. Noa now enjoys living in her new neighborhood in West. It is quieter, there are more birds singing and she hears many other languages such as Arabic or Turkish. Still, she misses the coziness and compactness of De Pijp. Growing up in this neighborhood has made her accustomed to a lot of noise and bustle. While others long for quiet, Noa thrives in an environment where a multitude and variety of sounds can be heard.
Listen with Noa is part of the Listen with… of Urban Sound Lab, where local residents, sound artists, and architects listen to the city together. Together they explore how to achieve a better-sounding city and how that contributes to the personal well-being of city dwellers. Find the other episodes here
