Since the introduction of the EU directive of 25 June 2002 there has been a profusion of research grants and public-sector spending on quantitative acoustic maps. But what are they going to be used for? Who is going to consult them? Will they serve as the basis for upgrading our urban soundscapes? There is every reason to doubt this. This article reports on work that could form the starting point of a vast research drive to build sound maps of a new sort, maps that are more descriptive and able to supplement the information provided by mapping of acoustic measurements.