AbstractPast research has shown that the effects of prolonged exposure to urban acoustic noise are both detrimental to mind and body. In recent years, studies have also indicated that the socially disadvantaged are more susceptible to environmental hazards such as noise pollution. This paper aims to fill a gap in literature through the evaluation of urban soundscapes by analysing the spatiotemporal patterns of acoustic events within selected New York City (NYC) neighbourhoods and comparing the datum to the socio-economic data of the urban environments. In this paper, the author aims to address this question, ‘Does racial/ethnic composition of each neighbourhood influence how acoustic events are distributed, and in what way does this relate to the socio-economic status of each location?’ This study focuses on seven neighbourhoods within the New York City metropolitan area, each location representing one of the seven levels of noise metadata found on NYC’s 311 noise map. The ambient sounds.....