Places of silence
Also relevant to: Nature, Neighbourhoods
Geneva in 2061
In 2061, every neighbourhood in Geneva has its places of silence: quiet courtyards and gardens behind buildings, protected quiet areas in parks and along the rivers, silent rooms in schools, universities, churches and offices, and libraries with separate rooms where nobody speaks. Everyone can find a place to rest, read, think or meditate within a few minutes’ walk.
It was as if time had stood still for several centuries in this place. So calm and peaceful. And books everywhere.Grooters, Book 1, Part 16 “2061”
Geneva today
One Genevan in two says they suffer from noise
To counter this, the canton’s Bruit 2030 strategy, adopted in 2021, aims to balance noisy areas with “spaces of calm and acoustic comfort”, and to maintain and develop a network of quiet natural spaces across the agglomeration, called the “trame blanche” (white network).
Source: State of Geneva, Bruit 2030 strategy and soundscape pages (2025)
- According to the studies cited by the canton, sounds of nature such as birdsong, running water and rustling leaves are generally considered particularly soothing (same source).
- Geneva describes its soundscape approach, which asks residents how they actually perceive the sounds of a place, as still little applied by public authorities anywhere in the world (same source).
Where it is already done
- The United Nations in New York has had a Meditation Room, also called “A Room of Quiet”, since 1952. Dag Hammarskjöld personally oversaw its redesign in 1957, without any religious symbols, so that people of all faiths could withdraw there. At its opening, he said: “We have within us a centre of stillness surrounded by silence.”
- Lund University (Sweden) offers rooms for reflection and contemplation on five sites, open to all students and staff regardless of faith, for meditation, prayer or simply silence. Phones must be switched off, and the rooms may not be used for meetings or studying.
A Pattern Language
Related patterns from the book A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander and colleagues (1977), a classic of architecture and town planning.
- 59 Quiet Backs: Alexander and his colleagues argue that every building on a busy street needs a quiet side, such as a back path, garden or courtyard away from the traffic, where people can withdraw from the noise for a few moments of calm.
How far along
Done somewhere A city or country already does it. Geneva only needs to adapt it.
The path to 2061
Milestones proposed for discussion.
- 2027Geneva maps its quiet places and protects the most valuable ones in its planning, as part of the trame blanche.
- 2031Every school, university, hospital and large public building has a silent room, and public libraries have separate rooms for silent reading.
- 2041Everyone in Geneva lives within a few minutes’ walk of a quiet place: a courtyard, a garden, a park or a silent room.
- 2051Places of silence are as natural a part of every neighbourhood as playgrounds and cafés.
- 2061As in Verity’s old book club, time seems to stand still in Geneva’s places of silence.
What moves it
Human needs it serves
Open questions
- How can libraries welcome children and families while keeping rooms where people can read and work in silence?
- Should the most valuable quiet places be protected by law, like nature reserves?
- How quiet does a place need to be for people to experience it as truly silent?