Urban noise

Conforme a lo establecido en la legislación vigente, un mapa estratégico de ruido debe incluir un documento de texto con información sobre la metodología empleada y resultados obtenidos. En el caso de aglomeraciones urbanas, los ayuntamientos deben enviar al MAGRAMA un documento con la información recogida en el Anexo VI del RD1513/2005. El objeto de esta MEMORIA RESUMEN es dar respuesta a este requerimiento legal, en el contexto de la revisión del anterior MER de Granada de 2008. El alcance de este proyecto es el término municipal de Granada teniendo en cuenta su zonificación acústica, según se recoge en LORCA, plan de acción contra el ruido en la ciudad de Granada.

This study assesses and validates the influence of sound in the urban environment and glass façade components in responsively reducing sound transmission to the indoor environment. Among the most reported issues affecting workspaces, increased awareness to minimize noise led designers to reconsider the design of building envelopes and its site environment. Outdoor sound conditions, such as traffic noise, challenge designers to accurately estimate the capability of glass façades in acquiring an appropriate indoor sound quality. Field-measurements for sound transmission loss can establish a baseline performance in a context for sound levels common in urban areas. INSUL is a sound insulation software utilized as an informative tool correlating glass façade parameters with the outdoor sound level based on ISO 717 to predict indoor sound levels. This study validates the acoustic performance of glass facades early in a project’s design through prediction methods and acoustic field-testing. Results from the study support that acoustic comfort is not limited to a singular solution, but multiple design options responsive to its environment.

O presente estudo buscou avaliar a poluição sonora decorrente do tráfego de veículos em três regiões distintas (comercial, mista – comercial e residencial, residencial) da cidade de Campo Grande, capital do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, através de medições do ruído (LAeq) e mapeamento sonoro utilizando o software Predictor 7810 versão 8.11. As medições sonoras nas regiões do Centro (comercial) e do Jardim dos Estados (mista – comercial e residencial) revelaram que todos os pontos de medição possuíam níveis sonoros acima dos permitidos pela legislação municipal (Lei Complementar 08 (1996) e dos indicados pela NBR 10151 (2000). Já a região do Carandá (residencial) possuía cerca de 40% e 8% do total de pontos com níveis abaixo do estabelecido pela Lei Complementar 08 (1996) e dos recomendados pela NBR 10151, respectivamente. O mapeamento sonoro se mostrou uma boa ferramenta para avaliação sonora da situação atual das três regiões estudadas. Verificou-se que utilizando dois tipos de mapeamento, um apresentando a situação geral, onde são explanadas todas as faixas de níveis de ruído da região estudada, e o outro ilustrando as áreas que se encontram abaixo ou acima dos limites estabelecidos, se tornam grande aliados na identificação das vias e áreas poluídas acusticamente, demonstrando que a região do Centro e do Jardim dos Estados possuem amplas áreas com grande poluição sonora, e a região do Carandá possuí menos áreas poluídas. Por fim são sugeridas diversas medidas mitigadoras de ruído e simulado um novo cenário utilizando o software, para as três regiões estudadas, considerando, para as vias, um pavimento com baixa emissão sonora, concluindo que apenas utilizando tal medida, já é possível diminuir os níveis sonoros, sendo que em grande parte das regiões, as faixas de imissão sonora nas fachadas das edificações à margem das vias, diminuíram em uma escala de 5 dB(A). Entretanto, é necessário a implantação de outras medidas conjuntas, para ampliar efetivamente a diminuição do ruído. Por fim, conclui-se que o presente estudo contribuiu amplamente para a avaliação da poluição sonora da cidade de Campo Grande, tendo em vista que as três regiões estudadas, compreendem as principais características para as zonas existentes no município.

In a leading article by Sir Percival Philips in the UK popular newspaper, the Daily Mail, July 16, 1928, came the following headlines: “Millions Lost by Noise – Cities’ Worst Plague – Menace to Nerves and Health – What is Being Done to Stop it”. The article was supported by research from Prof Henry J. Spooner, who had been researching and campaigning on the ill-effects of noise and its economic impact. The article sparked subsequent discussion and follow-up articles in the Daily Mail and its international partners. In an era of rapid technological change, that was on the cusp of implementing sound pressure measurements, the Daily Mail, in collaboration with the Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd, experimented with sound recording technology and commentary in the field to help communicate perceived loudness and identify the sources of “unnecessary noise”. This resulted in the making of series of environmental sound recordings from five locations across central London during September 1...

RESUMO A implantação de infraestrutura e serviços é exigida para a expansão das cidades, levando ao aumento de obras de construção civil, que, em seu cerne, são emissoras de ruídos contaminadores do meio em que se encontram. Desta forma, torna-se extremamente importante monitorar e avaliar o ambiente urbano, uma vez que ele influencia diretamente no estado geral da saúde da população. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal analisar o impacto gerado pelo ruído de canteiro de obra de um edifício multifamiliar, verificando de que maneira a interação entre as fontes sonoras da obra e a forma urbana exercem influência em determinado ambiente sonoro, tendo como estudo de caso uma porção da malha urbana localizada no bairro da Jatiúca, na cidade de Maceió, Alagoas, Brasil. Foram levantados dados físicos e as respectivas medições do Nível de Pressão Sonora da malha urbana com a obra ativa e inativa. O estudo foi baseado na aplicação de um software para mapeamento e predição acústica na qual se analisou, primeiramente, o cenário acústico atual e, em seguida, os cenários hipotéticos criados a partir de modificações das alturas e da taxa de ocupação dos prédios do entorno. Os resultados encontrados nas medições in loco sob a influência da obra ativa estavam acima do permitido pela norma brasileira vigente, NBR 10.151 e as simulações mostraram que as características físicas estudadas da forma urbana influenciam na propagação sonora ao ar livre e, por conseguinte, no ambiente sonoro de uma determinada região. Palavras-chave: qualidade acústica; ruído da construção civil; ruído urbano. ABSTRACT For the expansion of cities, the implementation of infrastructure and services is required, leading to increased construction works, which, in the center of the concept, are emitters of noise polluters in the environment. Under these circumstances, it is critical to monitor and evaluate the urban environment since it directly influences the general state of health. This study aims to analyze the sound impact generated by the noise produced by the construction site of a multifamily building, checking how the interaction between sound sources of the work and the urban form influences the soundscape, with a case study of a portion of the metropolitan area located in the neighborhood of Jatiúca, in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. Physical data and measurements of the sound pressure level of the urban area during active and inactive construction were collected. The study was based on the application of software for mapping and acoustic prediction, which analyzed first the current sound setting and then the hypothetical scenarios created by changes in height, occupancy rate and number of inhabitants in the surrounding buildings. The results in measurements in situ under the influence of active work were above the permitted level by the applicable Brazilian standard, and the simulations showed that the

Primary Instruction: Listen! Don’t feel you are being forced to unnaturally suppress your other senses – just have a go at temporarily prioritising your sense of hearing. Midst walk, you may become aware that you are distracted, preoccupied, your mind is elsewhere. No problem, initiate what Barry Truax calls, “listening-in-search”: an active process of searching out and savouring specific sounds within the ochlophonic (i.e. crowded) soundscape. Stay alert! Although such collective activity is conducive to introspection, this is not a group meditation.

Analysis and knowledge are required in order to obtain awareness and understanding of sensory data, sound in this case, to process what we perceive and to derive some meaning.
It is possible to capture small details in the environment and take them all in to see the whole.
The aim of my research is to explore the connections between sound and perception through the decoding of physics rules, cultural aspects, and parameters contained in sound. This research is about looking for something in a focused and systematic way, to create a new knowledge through active experimentation and also interpretation of new sound sensations.
This project explores listening to “noise” to develop a new attitude to understanding sounds and music in order to arrive at a new way of thinking that helps the listeners understand the shapes of sound through analytic investigation. This research could be a help for designers, city planners, musicians, artists and those who want to experience new perceptions. My thesis project will support these goals and my conclusion will discuss the objectives proposed in this paper.

Every day, 15% of the European population is exposed to average noise or air pollution levels exceeding the European legal threshold. Levels and distribution of each pollutant across the city depend of individual sources emissions, dispersion phenomenon, and urban environment. Consequently, spatial variability of multi-exposure level remains mostly unknown. The aim of this Ph. D. thesis is to identify and describe multi-exposure situations in the French medium sized city of Besançon. Environmental noise levels, and concentrations of several air pollutants (NO2, benzene, PM10 and PM2.5), have been modeled using a fine scale grid (2m x 2m). Model compatibility has been maximized by the use of common input into the calculation software Mithra-SIG (for noise) and COPERT4/ADMS-urban (for air pollutants). In a first time, impact of the neighborhood definition on exposure levels has been explored for both pollutions. Twelve indicators, each representing a different definition of the exposure area in the dwelling vicinity, have been used to quantify exposure levels around the 10 865 inhabitable building of Besançon. Obtained results show a significant impact of the neighborhood definition on the exposure levels. Different neighborhood definitions lead to a differential bias caused by a different accounting for environmental variables. This bias exists for all studied pollutant, but in different proportion depending on the pollutant. In a second time, situations of multi-exposure to noise and NO2 have been identified in the city. Results indicate a complex relation between pollutants and allow the description of several multi-exposure situations across the city. This work constitute one of the firsts approaches of this kind in France and allow a better understanding of the existing relations between neighborhood, exposure area, environmental parameters and exposure levels.

We examined the extent to which acoustic noise in urban environments influences song characteristics and singing behaviour of Northern Cardinals Cardinalis cardinalis and American Robins Turdus migratorius. We predicted that, in response to loud noise, birds would improve signal transmission by (1) increasing singing rate and (2) adjusting song characteristics such as pitch and length. From May -July 2006, 42 cardinals and 53 robins were recorded in forests located within four acoustic environments in central Ohio: rural, residential, commercial, and highway. Following each recording, we measured ambient noise level and recorded information describing location, weather, habitat, and conspecific presence within 75 m. As predicted, frequency range was positively correlated with noise level for both species, but neither song length nor rate was related to noise level for either species. These data support the idea that anthropogenic noise influences avian singing behaviour and acts as a selective force in urban areas.

La provisión de paisajes sonoros sanos y equilibrados es uno de los retos más importantes que afrontan las ciudades del siglo XXI. Actualmente, los estudios relacionados a esta cuestión asumen un enfoque integral, que explora con detenimiento la interacción entre la ciudadanía y su entorno acústico más próximo. El presente trabajo examina el paisaje sonoro de los cascos históricos de Venecia (Italia) y Popayán (Colombia). En ese sentido, se realizaron cartografías del factor físico y factor perceptual del paisaje sonoro urbano, con el propósito de garantizar su eficaz evaluación. Los resultados demuestran patrones de comportamiento espaciotemporal diversos, con un grado de variabilidad que, en esencia, depende del entorno urbano construido. Por tanto, se concluye que el paisaje sonoro debe ser incorporado durante los procesos de planeamiento urbano, de modo que se preste especial atención al balance saludable entre la ecotopofonía y la antropofonía producida en el espacio público abierto de la ciudad. En efecto, este es un ámbito que puede contribuir a la conformación de experiencias sonoras altamente aceptadas por los habitantes urbanos. En suma, se recomienda ampliar la escala de evaluación en futuros estudios y profundizar en la comprensión de la ciudad y su paisaje sonoro resultante.

ABSTRACT: The design criteria for high rise and normal buildings differ in acoustics. The same applies for engineering and architecture. There the main sources for vibration and noise are: how the wind effects structural systems, high speed elevators, the size of the facade, mechanical and electrical systems, and occupied office areas. These can be countered by the recent developments in sustainable design, structure systems and building techniques creating new main research areas for acoustics with solutions for: outrigger systems, atriums and interiour gardens for natural ventilation and lighting, efficient use of solar and wind energy, high-tech building automation, advanced facade systems. This article reviews the literature and projects concerning acoustic comfort and resulting the special acoustic requirements to design this type of building in a sustainable way.
ÖZET: Yüksek yapılar; mühendislik ve mimarlık alanlarında olduğu gibi akustik bilimi açısından da diğer yapılara göre farklı tasarım kriterlerine sahiptir. Rüzgar etkisiyle oluşan strüktürel sesler, hızlı asansörler, mekanik ve elektrik sistemleri, cephe ve açık ofis alanları gibi dolu hacimler yüksek yapılarda başlıca titreşim ve gürültü kaynakları olarak sayılabilmektedir. Son yıllarda yüksek yapılarda sürdürülebilir tasarım yaklaşımı, taşıyıcı sistem ve inşa tekniklerindeki gelişmeler akustik alanında da, gürültü denetimi ve hacim akustiği açısından yeni araştırma alanlarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu bağlamda; damperli yatay kafes kirişlerle destekli sistemler, doğal havalandırma ve aydınlatmayı sağlamak için tasarlanan atrium ve kat bahçeleri, güneş ve rüzgar enerjisinden yararlanma, enerji üretim sistemleri, yüksek teknolojili bina otomasyonu, gelişmiş cephe sistemleri özel akustik önlem gerektiren başlıca konulardır. Çalışmada, sürdürülebilir tasarım yaklaşımları yüksek yapılarda akustik konfor açısından incelenmiş olup bu yapı tipolojisine özel başlıca akustik gereksinimler belirlenmiş; konuyla ilgili proje çalışmaları ve literatür değerlendirilmiştir.

Benjamin Franklin famously performed an acoustic experiment while listening to George Whitefield preach in Philadelphia in 1739, in which Franklin calculated that Whitefield could be heard by more than 30,000 listeners. In the course of his experiment, Franklin mentioned Whitefield's voice being disturbed by noise on Front Street, which affected the distance at which Franklin could understand him. In the course of constructing an acoustical simulation of Franklin's experiment, this paper describes research into the noise soundscape of early 18th century Philadelphia. First the attenuation due to diffraction is calculated based on Franklin's position and the frequency of the noise source. Next, historical accounts of noise are considered. The most likely sources of noise on Front Street would have been either a carriage on sand or gravel, or conversations outside the Old London Coffee House. These sources can be measured for approximate sound pressure levels today and inserted into a virtual model of Franklin's experiment to simulate how loud Whitefield's voice would have been and how many people could have heard his unamplified voice.

Many passerines adjust song attributes to avoid potential masking by anthropogenic noise. The costs of masking should be particularly high for vocalizations important for survival (e.g. alarm calls), but few studies have investigated how such calls are affected. We compared urban and rural silvereye, Zosterops lateralis, alarm calls across southeastern Australia, and found that urban calls had lower average, peak and maximum frequencies than rural calls. The average, peak and maximum frequency of alarm calls also decreased linearly with increasing background noise. The direction of this frequency shift runs contrary to expectations and previous findings of higher-pitched avian vocal signals in urban habitats, including higher-pitched song and contact calls in urban silvereyes. However, assuming no change in call amplitude, acoustic modelling indicates that the observed frequency shift would lead to a 20% increase in the predicted active space of alarm calls (i.e. the distance over which the calls can be detected by a conspecific bird) in urban noise, and therefore may be potentially adaptive. Our findings highlight the importance of considering behavioural and ecological contexts in urban acoustic-adaptation studies.

ABSTRACT: The result of this conference paper is a five minutes simulation of the soundscape in one open space location in Hamburg made by qualitatively analyzing five minute samples over a one week timeframe. We coded the recordings according to eight different codes, which are: car, bike, plane, rain, structure area, child, adult, bird, background noise. Through a probability distribution matrix representing a markov chain model, a simulated sample could be produced with the help of a Monte Carlo simulation. In the future different locations can produce different simulations. This would be also the first step to develop a model which contains hidden Markov states by verifying the simulated sample with a new sample at a precise time. The results were with the help of the Levenshtein Algorithm evaluated. The created method for modelling can also be used for researching concert halls, using violins, flute, oboe, piano, etc. as different codes, i.e. identifying the orchestral soundscape.
ÖZET: Bu çalışmada, etkilendiğimiz açık alan gürültülerinin beş dakikalık tip kaydının simüle edilerek üretilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Almanya'nın Hamburg şehrinde seçilen bir nokta üzerinde, ses kayıtları yapılmıştır. Kayıtlar dinlenerek, araba, bisiklet, uçak, yağmur, inşaat, çocuk, yetişkin, kuş ve arkaplan gürültüsü olmak üzere dokuz farklı baskın ses kodlanmıştır. Markov zincirine göre modele alıştırma yaptırılmış, kodlar arası ilişkiler değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, gerçek ses kayıtları kullanılarak Monte Carlo simülasyonu yardımıyla makine öğrenmesi gerçekleştirilmiş ve makinenin tipik ses alanı üretebilmesi sağlanmıştır. Levenshtein algoritması ile test edilmiş ve değerlendirilmiştir. Modelin, ses alanı tanımlayarak mimari akustiğe kaynak oluşturmanın yanı sıra bilgisayar öğrenmesi ile beste ve melodi oluşturulması açısından müzikal akustiğe de katkıda bulunacağı düşünülmektedir.

By hearing and identifying a noise problem, residents in Taiwan transmute the visceral experience of noise in relation to neighbors, the state, and others. In the countryside, in the city, and in the ocean, the challenges of negotiating noise speak to the apprehension of a sonic climate that mediates the limits of a shared, human experience, as well as the possibilities for living with others in spite of those limitations. In these cases, noise acts as a metanarrative device through which social anxieties, technocratic protocols, environmental change, and visceral forms of sensing are brought together to anticipate and enact socialities around sound. An ethic of relating emerges through the efforts of diverse individuals to create a shared sense of community despite differences in embodied experience.

EU Directive 49/2002 and Spanish law 37/2006 urge cities to develop strategic noise maps and action plans to evaluate noise exposure and to establish noise abatement procedures in critical areas. However, noise mapping involves costly and cumbersome measurement procedures that can become a real issue in practice. This paper describes a distributed noise monitoring system based on WASN (Wireless Acoustic Sensor Network) and the application of a geo-statistical methodology for statistical spatial-temporal prediction of noise levels in semi-open areas, such as a typical, small Mediterranean city (Algemesí, València, Spain). This methodology is applied to the study of the spatial evolution in time of the noise pollution. To this end, a spatial statistical model is developed by using the noise pollution measurements obtained over a set of points located at some strategic locations. The geo-statistical time model allows for estimating specific noise levels and characterizing the spatial-temporal variation of the noise pollution. The results show that the developed model provides a good approximation of the measurements obtained experimentally.

This article analyses the opinions expressed by residents of the historic centre of Tours, one of the first areas in France to be restored. These residents are actively involved in attempting to restrict disturbances linked to the high density of certain activities (bars, restaurants, discotheques).. Residents pay particular attention to the observance of noise pollution regulations and rules for protecting heritage sites. A consultation body has now been set up in the historic centre of Tours to deal with the demands of the residents’association and to conciliate relations between the different users of this space. In a context of conflict and controversy, a particular style of living has emerged, based on appropriation of the objectives and guidelines for public-sector action in relation to heritage.

Este articulo analiza los discursos de habitantes del Vieux Tours - una de las primeras zonas urbanas restauradas en Francia - movilizados para intentar limitar afectaciones a su calidad de vida ligadas a la concentración de ciertas actividades (bares, restaurantes, discotecas). Los habitantes movilizados ejercen una vigilancia estricta sobre el respecto de las normas de lucha contra el ruido y de las prescrip-ciones de protección del patrimonio. Este espacio es hoy en día dotado de une instancia de concertación encargada de ofrecer una arena a las reivindicaciones de la asociación de habitantes. En este contexto presenciamos la creación de una forma especifica de habitar basada sobre la apropiación de los objetivos y del marco de referencia de la acción publica patrimonial.

Cet article analyse les discours de résidents du Vieux Tours - un des premiers secteurs restaurés en France - mobilisés pour tenter de limiter les nuisances liées à la concentration de certaines activités (bars, restaurants, discothèques). Les habitants mobilisés exercent une vigilance stricte sur le respect des réglementations de lutte contre le bruit et des prescriptions de protection du patrimoine. Le Vieux Tours est aujourd’hui doté d’une instance de concertation chargée d’offrir une scène aux revendications de l’association des habitants et de pacifier les relations entre les différents usages de cet espace. Dans un contexte de conflits et controverses se met en œuvre un mode particulier d’habiter basé sur l’appropriation des objectifs et du référentiel de l’action publique patrimoniale.

Presentación del Mapa Estratégico de Ruidos de Granada 2016, segundo MER de la ciudad, elaborado por el Área de Medio Ambiente del Ayuntamiento de Granada con la colaboración de la Universidad de Granada, Departamento de Física Aplicada en la Facultad de Ciencias. Datos, resultados y análisis de niveles ambientales y población expuesta según establece la normativa acústica vigente en España y en Europa.