A Camera Class at the New York Trade School

A camera class in the Lithography Department of the New York Trade School poses for a group photo. Black and white photograph mounted on paper.

A group of Litho students at the New York Trade School

A group of students from the New York Trade School studying lithography pose for a group photo. Black and white photograph mounted on paper.

View of Lithography Lab at the New York Trade School

Part of a lithography lab at the New York Trade School is depicted in this photograph. To the right sample prints are hung on a board, while other prints can be seen on the table, possibly drying. Black and white photograph.

Nat Gold, Sheet Metal Graduate from the New York Trade School

Nat Gold graduated from the Sheet Metal program at the New York Trade School in 1942. He is represented here in the sheet metal shop he owns. Notice the blueprints for the White Plains Senior High School hanging on the wall behind him. Original caption reads, "Shop Owner, Brook Sheet Metal Inc. Nat Gold - Sheet Metal 1942, represents one of many Sheet Metal graduates who became owners of their own business." Black and white photograph.

Welding Equipment at the New York Trade School

Pictured is a P & H A.C. Arc Welder that would have been used to teach students in the Welding Department at the New York Trade School. Black and white photograph.

Piano Performance at a New York Trade School Commencement

Six piano players spread across the front of the stage at the New York Trade School perform at a commencement ceremony. The graduates can be seen sitting in the first few rows of the auditorium with guests filling up the rest of the space. On the dais several administrators from the New York Trade School are shown. Black and white photograph.

Conductor at a New York Trade School Commencement

This is a close-up of the conductor leading several piano players in a performance at a New York Trade School Commencement ceremony. To the left of the conductor the diplomas to be handed out are standing on a table. Several of the school's administrators are sitting on the dais. Black and white photograph.

Speaker at a New York Trade School Commencement Ceremony

An administrator from the New York Trade School speaks at the school's commencement ceremony. In front of the speaker several athletic awards are positioned on a table. Black and white photograph.

Graduate Receiving Diploma at New York Trade School Commencement

A graduate from the New York Trade School is receiving his diploma from an administrator from the school. Black and white photograph.

Diplomas Handed Out at a New York Trade School Commencement

New York Trade School superintendent George E. McLaughlin hands diplomas to another administrator from the school who is handing them out to students. Black and white photograph.

Acoustic Design in Urban Development : analysis of urban soundscapes and acoustic ecology research in New York City

The world is urbanizing rapidly with more than half of the global population now living in cities. Improving urban environments for the well-being of the increasing number of urban citizens is becoming one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. Even though it is common that city planners have visions of a ’good urban milieu’, those visions are concerning visual aesthetics or practical matters. The qualitative perspective of sound, such as sonic diversity and acoustic ecology are neglected aspects in architectural design. Urban planners and politicians are therefore largely unaware of the importance of sounds for the intrinsic quality of a place. Whenever environmental acoustics is on the agenda, the topic is noise abatement or noise legislation – a quantitative attenuation of sounds. Some architects may involve acoustical aspects in their work but sound design or acoustic design has yet to develop to a distinct discipline and be incorporated in urban planning.My aim was to investigate to what extent the urban soundscape is likely to improve if modern architectural techniques merge with principles of acoustics. This is an important, yet unexplored, research area. My study explores and analyses the acoustical aspects in urban development and includes interviews with practitioners in the field of urban acoustics, situated in New York City. My conclusion is that to achieve a better understanding of the human living conditions in mega-cities, there is a need to include sonic components into the holistic sense of urban development.