Berlin train station plans to play anxiety-inducing music to help deter criminal activity
A hostile urban design to drive away "drug dealers"
Germany's national rail operator has revealed its plans to play anxiety-inducing music at Berlin's S-Bahn station, Hermanstrasse, in an attempt to deter criminal activity from taking place around the site.
According to the German publication Tagesspiegel, the plan is to test various tones at different volumes to try and drive away loiterers without upsetting commuters. While the tones will be heard throughout the station, the sound will not be audible on the train platform.
The station has gained a reputation as a hotspot for criminal activity and the hope is that the discordant tones will drive off the drug users and drug dealers who frequent the location. Many members of Berlin's homeless population have been known to use the station as shelter.
Deutsche Bahn's eastern regional manager Friedemann Kessler told Tagesspiegel, "few people find it beautiful - many people perceive it as something to run away from."
Stations in London and Montreal have tried this same strategy with classical music in an effort to reduce anti-social behavior. The thinking behind the plan was that harmonious music defuses tension. Berlin's new experiment takes on a more hostile approach.
The trial is scheduled to begin later this year.
[via: Tagesspiegel]
Cameron is Mixmag's Jr. Editor. Follow him on Twitter here