The article discusses how the sonic environment reflects and shapes the atmosphere of vulnerable urban areas. It aims to investigate the potential of critical listening as a tool for attuning and exploring everyday public feelings, and it seeks to engage collaborative sound-art practice as a relevant means for empowering local communities. The contribution provides the outcomes of a case study developed in Palermo at “Quartiere San Giovanni e Paolo” where the author was involved in a public art process as researcher and sound artist, and developed a participatory project named Voci Fuori Campo. The action-research uncovered unprecedented perspectives on the relationship between vulnerable neighborhoods, power hierarchies, social inequalities, and gender issues.