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Urban Noise

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 10801

Special Issue Editor

INTERRA, Department of Applied Physics, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
Interests: urban noise; environmental acoustics; noise mapping; urban planning; soundscape; sound perception; acoustic assessment; bioacoustics; acoustic characterization of recycled materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mobility of people and goods by means of transport is a vital part of today's society. However, noise pollution is one of the main problems associated with this mobility because of its harmful impact on human health and well-being. Noise is therefore a factor in urban sustainability that must be considered. In this regard, actions targeting transportation noise sources are not enough to mitigate this environmental problem, so the development of green and quiet areas as well as changes to buildings are necessary to reduce the exposure of the population to environmental noise. Decreasing sound levels is not always technically feasible and is sometimes not enough to improve people's perception of noise. This Special Issue, "Urban noise" aims to create a scientific space where the problem of urban noise is treated from different approaches. Contributors from different perspectives are invited to submit original research papers on the following topics: temporal and spatial methodologies for the assessment of urban noise; sound perception in urban environments, quiet and green areas; relationships among urban morphology and facilities, sound levels and noise perception; methodologies and indicators for the assessment of the soundscape; applications for the assessment of urban noise; free display interfaces for urban noise data; and the influence of building morphology and composition on urban sound propagation and attenuation.

Prof. Dr. Guillermo Rey Gozalo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • noise mapping
  • urban sound perception
  • soundscape
  • environmental noise
  • urban noise apps
  • noise monitoring
  • noise measurements
  • urban noise planning
  • noise mitigation
  • noise action plans

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3210 KiB  
Article
Empirical Study on Temperature Influence on Noise Measurements with the Statistical Pass-By Method
by Michiel Geluykens, Ablenya Grangeiro de Barros, Luc Goubert and Cedric Vuye
Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042099 - 12 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1695
Abstract
Road traffic noise measurements, such as the Statistical Pass-By method (SPB) described in ISO 11819-1, are pivotal in assessing this noise pollution problem. As temperature is a primary cause of uncertainty in tyre/road noise measurements, the SPB method results need to be temperature [...] Read more.
Road traffic noise measurements, such as the Statistical Pass-By method (SPB) described in ISO 11819-1, are pivotal in assessing this noise pollution problem. As temperature is a primary cause of uncertainty in tyre/road noise measurements, the SPB method results need to be temperature corrected. The ISO 11819-1 standard is currently being revised and will refer to ISO/DTS 13471-2:2021, also in the drafting stage, for a temperature-correction procedure that is not present in the current ISO 11819-1:1997 version. Compared to other methods, little research has evaluated the temperature influence using the SPB method. In this paper, 18 SPB measurements were performed at three locations, with dense asphalt concrete and SMA as the pavement type. In total, over 5700 vehicles were captured, covering the complete temperature range in ISO 11819-1. For passenger cars, a temperature coefficient of −0.103 dB/°C was obtained while no statistically significant proof was found that temperature influences the sound-pressure levels for heavy vehicles at the speeds in this study (45–65 km/h). In this speed range for heavy vehicles, not only the tyre/road noise is a significant source of pass-by vehicle noise but also the power unit noise, on which the temperature influence is more complicated. Additionally, the analysis of various temperatures (air, road and estimated tyre temperature) revealed that the air temperature appears to be best suited for the temperature correction procedure. In third-octave bands, no effect was observed in the low-frequency range for passenger cars, contradicting previous research. Negative correction coefficients were found in the middle and high-frequency range, although trends presented in other studies were not observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Noise)
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21 pages, 3096 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Thin Asphalt Layers as a Road Traffic Noise Intervention in an Urban Environment
by Ablenya Grangeiro de Barros, Jarl K. Kampen and Cedric Vuye
Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12561; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212561 - 13 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1693
Abstract
Low-noise thin asphalt layers (TALs) are a feasible solution to mitigate road traffic noise in urban environments. Nevertheless, the impacts of this type of noise intervention are reported mostly regarding noise levels, while non-acoustic aspects influencing the population perception are still little-known. This [...] Read more.
Low-noise thin asphalt layers (TALs) are a feasible solution to mitigate road traffic noise in urban environments. Nevertheless, the impacts of this type of noise intervention are reported mostly regarding noise levels, while non-acoustic aspects influencing the population perception are still little-known. This study investigates the implementation of TALs in two streets of Antwerp, Belgium. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured via noise modelling and acoustic measurements of road traffic noise. A reduction of 2.8 dB in noise exposure was observed in Lden and Lnight, while SPB measurements showed decreases up to 5.2 dB on the roadside. The subjective impacts of the TALs were evaluated via self-administered surveys and compared to results from control streets. The annoyance indicators were positively impacted by the TALs implementation, resulting in annoyance levels similar or lower than in the control streets. The TALs did not impact the reported physical complaints, sleep quality, and comfort level to perform activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Noise)
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17 pages, 10067 KiB  
Article
Statistical Road-Traffic Noise Mapping Based on Elementary Urban Forms in Two Cities of South Korea
by Phillip Kim, Hunjae Ryu, Jong-June Jeon and Seo Il Chang
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2365; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042365 - 22 Feb 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2749
Abstract
Statistical models that can generate a road-traffic noise map for a city or area where only elementary urban design factors are determined, and where no concrete urban morphology, including buildings and roads, is given, can provide basic but essential information for developing a [...] Read more.
Statistical models that can generate a road-traffic noise map for a city or area where only elementary urban design factors are determined, and where no concrete urban morphology, including buildings and roads, is given, can provide basic but essential information for developing a quiet and sustainable city. Long-term cost-effective measures for a quiet urban area can be considered at early city planning stages by using the statistical road-traffic noise map. An artificial neural network (ANN) and an ordinary least squares (OLS) model were developed by utilizing data on urban form indicators, based on a 3D urban model and road-traffic noise levels from a normal noise map of city A (Gwangju). The developed ANN and OLS models were applied to city B (Cheongju), and the resultant statistical noise map of city B was compared to an existing normal road-traffic noise map of city B. The urban form indicators that showed multi-collinearity were excluded by the OLS model, and among the remaining urban forms, road-related urban form indicators such as traffic volume and road area density were found to be important variables to predict the road-traffic noise level and to design a quiet city. Comparisons of the statistical ANN and OLS noise maps with the normal noise map showed that the OLS model tends to under-estimate road-traffic noise levels, and the ANN model tends to over-estimate them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Noise)
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18 pages, 2548 KiB  
Article
Noise Estimation Using Road and Urban Features
by Guillermo Rey Gozalo, Enrique Suárez, Alexandra L. Montenegro, Jorge P. Arenas, Juan Miguel Barrigón Morillas and David Montes González
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9217; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219217 - 05 Nov 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3138
Abstract
Noise pollution must be considered to achieve sustainable cities because current levels of exposure to environmental noise are a considerable risk to the health and quality of life of citizens. Urban features and sound levels were registered in 150 streets in the Chilean [...] Read more.
Noise pollution must be considered to achieve sustainable cities because current levels of exposure to environmental noise are a considerable risk to the health and quality of life of citizens. Urban features and sound levels were registered in 150 streets in the Chilean cities of Talca and Valdivia to analyze the relationship between both types of variables. Urban variables related to street location, urban land use, street geometry, road traffic control, and public and private transportation showed very significant correlations with the noise levels, and multiple regression models were developed from these variables for each city. Models using only urban variables in Valdivia and Talca explained 71% and 73%, respectively, of the variability of noise. The prediction error was similar in the different types of urban roads and did not exhibit significant differences between models developed in different cities. The urban models developed in one city could, therefore, be used in other similar cities. Considering the usefulness of these variables in urban planning, these models can be a useful tool for urban planners and decision-makers to implement action plans regarding noise pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Noise)
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