The aim of this work is the definition of a methodology to analyze the number of buildings exposed to every noise level band, to estimate the required facade sound insulation for indoor comfort, and to evaluate the acoustic classes that would characterize existing building facades adopting the proposal for a new International Organization for Standardization standard. In particular, a relationship based on a statistical approach is analyzed between outdoor noise, determined according to the European Noise Directive, and the limit values for the acoustic classification of buildings that are going to be implemented in the proposed International Organization for Standardization standard. Building exposure to noise is described through the indicator Lden as reported in the noise maps elaborated, according to the European Noise Directive, with reference to some major Italian towns. As a result of the application of the proposed methodology, the facade insulation required to obtain an adequate indoor comfort is determined.
European and Italian laws establish that agglomerations of more than 100 000 inhabitants must adopt an action plan in order to manage noise issues and effects. The plan aim is to reduce population exposure to environmental noise, which is defined as the outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise emitted by road traffic, rail traffic and air traffic, and noise from sites of industrial activity. Although acoustic pollution represents one of the main causes of annoyance for inhabitants of urban areas, the political agenda does not acknowledge it among the main environmental issues. Thus, acoustic reclamation is often considered a duty to be accomplished rather than a way to improve quality of life for citizens. Furthermore, financial resources are generally very poor while the acoustic critical situations are numerous and serious in terms of exceeding the limit. In this situation, what is the meaning of an urban area noise action plan? What are the concrete actions that municipalities can realise to reduce urban noise pollution? This study tries to answer these questions, starting from the analysis carried out for the action plan of the city of Turin.
We designed and performed a participatory sensing initiative to explore the reliability and effectiveness of a distributed network of citizen-operated smartphones in evaluating the impact of environmental noise in residential areas. We asked participants to evaluate the comfort of their home environment in different situations and at different times, to select the most and least comfortable states and to measure noise levels with their smartphones. We then correlated comfort ratings with noise measurements and additional contextual information provided by participants. We discuss how to strengthen methods and procedures, particularly regarding the calibration of the devices, in order to make similar citizen-science efforts effective at monitoring environmental noise and planning long-term solutions to human well-being.
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