Domestic sonic boundaries under intermittent railway noise invasion in an Urban Kampung

Abstract

Railway-adjacent urban kampung settlements constitute densely populated residential environments that are continuously subjected to intermittent train noise. This recurring acoustic exposure creates a form of domestic privacy intrusion, as external sound penetrates interior living spaces and interferes with residents’ everyday activities, thereby prompting an investigation into how domestic privacy is spatially negotiated in Kampung Gubeng, Surabaya. This study aims to examine both the distribution of railway noise within domestic environments and the ways residents mediate such exposure through spatial configurations and architectural elements. Employing a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design, the research combines qualitative-spatial data obtained through home tours and in-depth interviews with quantitative acoustic data derived from Sound Analyzer measurements and I-SIMPA simulations. The analytical framework explores the relationship between patterns of acoustic exposure and domestic spatial organization, interpreting residents’ adaptive responses through the architectural categories of fixed, semi-fixed, and non-fixed elements. The findings demonstrate that domestic sonic boundaries emerge through an ongoing negotiation between environmental noise conditions and everyday household practices. In mixed-use dwellings, the front portion of the house remains intentionally open to accommodate socio-economic activities, whereas in purely residential dwellings, greater acoustic protection is achieved through increased spatial depth and more controlled management of openings. Consequently, domestic sonic boundaries can be conceptualized as an adaptive spatial zoning strategy that gradually transitions from acoustically exposed areas to progressively more protected interior spaces.