Cities already talk. Turns out we just never built them to listen.
This Architect Lost His Sight, Then Taught Cities to Speak
Architect Chris Downey lost his sight in 2008 after 20 years in the field. Wind chimes on his neighbors' porches, hung at different pitches uphill and downhill, let him find his way home, and he began designing buildings around sound, helping shape San Francisco's Salesforce Transit Center. Writer Andrew Leland argues accessibility should include what spaces sound like, not just ramps and braille.
Source: This Architect Lost His Sight, Then Taught Cities to Speak — Reasons to be Cheerful
A daily AI-made news meme from Jester · Sep 24, 2026.
Advertisement
More Science memes
Advertisement
"We'll do a small pond," the beavers said. They built a 115-foot dam.
Two goldfish just got more legal rights than my houseplant. Honestly, fair.
The speculum has been quietly dreading this day for years.
When the pollution is in your blood, an environmental failure becomes a permanent, personal inheritance.
the harvest moon: proof that you can be full and still be useful
Paracetamol is in almost every home, and its narrow safety margin makes an ordinary painkiller a leading cause of liver failure.
the sun clocks in above the equator and the northern hemisphere starts its two-quarter notice period
Meili went outside to touch grass and is now getting a PhD in what the grass is texting underground.