A Walk Around The Historic City of Stratford

You will embark on an auditory walk through the history woven into the streets surrounding the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. As you move along St. Patrick Street and nearby landmarks, you’ll hear stories that evoke everyday life in Stratford.This walk invites you to listen closely and discover how the city’s past and present continue to interact in the spaces we inhabit today.

Welcome to the decadent part of Stratford! This time, we get to feel like kids in a candy shop...but now, we have adult money. Embark on a delicious, rich, smooth, fruity, sweet...journey with us while we recount our experiences in all the chocolate-related shops in Stratford. Be sure to turn up your volume to get the most out of the audio!

This soundwalk moves through Stratford’s familiar spaces such as the campus, library, courthouse, and favorite local spots like Jen and Larry’s, Balzac’s, and Sirkel Foods. It also pauses at Memorial Gardens for reflection. Each stop highlights the everyday sounds of footsteps, chatter, and traffic, layering the present moment with echoes of memory. The sound of an ice cream shop may spark nostalgia while the courthouse grounds remind us of history carried into the now. By blending past associations with live listening, this walk transforms ordinary places into a shared story of Stratford where memory and presence overlap in sound.

This soundwalk explores the rhythms of everyday life and social interactions in downtown Stratford. Drawing on the spatial narrative potential of sound, the seven selected locations trace a progression from public social encounters in the city center to intimate experiences of local culture, and finally to routine patterns of daily activity. Each site offers a distinct perspective on urban life. Through this walk, participants will experience how sound shapes the town’s culture and daily interactions. The textures of conversation, music, café atmospheres, skateboard movements, and the hum of buses all reveal how acoustic environments construct the lived reality of Stratford.

You will embark on an auditory walk through the history woven into the streets surrounding the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. As you move along St. Patrick Street and nearby landmarks, you’ll hear stories that evoke everyday life in Stratford.This walk invites you to listen closely and discover how the city’s past and present continue to interact in the spaces we inhabit today.

You will explore the vast eateries that Stratford has to offer to the students of the University of Waterloo. Not to mention, all of these places have student discounts if you show your WatCard!

Discovering Stratford as a home away from home

Welcome to Nirthika and Saybe's soundwalk "Stratford: Echoes Between Tracks and Stars." This walk consists of 5 locations. In which order is important to preserve the flow of the story! 1. Grand Trunk Railway - where the journey begins. 2. The Starlight 3. The Spa Near The Tracks 4. Bru Garden 5. Movies Under The Stars - where the journey ends. You will be transported into a day filled with history, relaxation, culinary delight, and nostalgia. We advise you to jot down one word that resonates with you at each location, so please listen closely and take your time.

A soundwalk exploring the everyday life of a GBDA student through a musical lens, while celebrating Stratford’s vibrant music culture.