Effects of road traffic noise and the benefit of access to quietness

Öhrström, Evy; Skånberg, Annbritt; Svensson, Henry; Gidlöf-Gunnarsson, Anita

doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2005.11.034

Cited by 269 publications

(186 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Besides attempting to reduce noise levels in streets and squares (so at the most-exposed façade), the positive influence of quiet urban areas and quiet building façades has been convincingly shown [110][111][112][113]. Consequently, this concept has become part of the noise policy in a number of European cities [114].…”

Section: Building Envelope Greeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using natural means to reduce surface transport noise during propagation outdoors

et al. 2015

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a b s t r a c tThis paper reviews ways of reducing surface transport noise by natural means. The noise abatement solutions of interest can be easily (visually) incorporated in the landscape or help with greening the (sub)urban environment. They include vegetated surfaces (applied to faces or tops of noise walls and on buildings' façades and roofs), caged piles of stones (gabions), vegetation belts (tree belts, shrub zones and hedges), earth berms and various ways of exploiting ground-surface-related effects. The ideas presented in this overview have been tested in the laboratory and/or numerically evaluated in order to assess or enhance the noise abatement they could provide. Some in-situ experiments are discussed as well. When well designed, such natural devices have the potential to abate surface transport noise, possibly by complementing and sometimes improving common (non-natural) noise reducing devices or measures. Their applicability strongly depends on the available space reserved for the noise abatement and the receiver position.

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Section: Building Envelope Greeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using natural means to reduce surface transport noise during propagation outdoors

et al. 2015

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“…Urban acoustic environments are thus pervaded with anthropogenic sounds, usually resulting in noise pollution which affects natural organisms as well as human wellbeing [1,2,3]. Birds that use songs (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birdsong As an Element of the Urban Sound Environment: A Case Study Concerning the Area of Warnemünde in Germany

Liu¹,

Kang²,

Behm³

2014

Acta Acustica united with Acustica

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SummaryBirds are common species in urban ecosystems and birdsong is an important element of many urban sound environments. Perceptions of birdsong loudness, based on a case study in Warnemünde, a coastal area in Germany, were analysed in terms of its role in urban sound environment, the relationships with other sounds, spatiotemporal characteristics, as well as the relationships with underlying landscape characteristics. An important and positive role of birdsong in urban soundscape perception in the study area was recognised. The analysis of the relationships between birdsong perception and other sounds suggested that, although birds could adjust their songs with continual urban traffic sounds, they are still sensitive to excessive sounds related to human appearance (adult voice, child voice and footstep) or human activities (construction sounds, music). The spatiotemporal patterns of perceived loudness of birdsong suggested the adapted patterns of bird species in urban areas. Perceived loudness of birdsong showed close relationships with the underlying landscape characteristics indicated by a series of landscape spatial pattern indices. Positive relationships were found with construction density, road density, vegetation density, as well as fragmentation status indicated by patch density, largest patch index, landscape shape index, fractal dimension and contagion.

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“…The type and location of social conflicts in the soundscape have to be identified in noise analyses (Bernat, 2016). According to research, the perception of a landscape engages other senses than sight (Liu et al, 2013;Ohrstrom et al, 2006). The second most important sense in this process is hearing which has the potential to register a much wider set of stimuli than touch, smell or taste (Visual landscape design training Manual, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%