Volume 2, Issue 1

In the guidelines about the management of areas of good environmental noise quality recently published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) it is suggested to combine different methodologies, like noise mapping, sound level measurements and the soundscape approach. Such a recommendation has started to be recognised by a number of local authorities in Europe that are gradually integrating a holistic concept into their environmental noise policies. This research aimed to explore and demonstrate the possibility to integrate conventional noise mapping methods and soundscape methods in an actual urban redevelopment project. A case study was made using the Valley Gardens project in Brighton & Hove (UK). Different scenarios of sound-pressure level distributionswere simulated for both traffic sound sources (i.e. noise maps) and natural sound sources (i.e. sound maps). Additionally, individual responses about the sound environment of the place collected during an on-site question survey were used to implement soundscape maps. The overall picture revealed that the road traffic noise should be reduced, but also it is feasible that preferred sounds likewater features or birdsong could be introduced to make the sound environment more appropriate for the place. Generally, within the framework of this research, noise maps, sound maps and soundscape maps were used together to "triangulate" different layers of information related to the acoustic environment and the way it is perceived, providing a possible working procedure to consider for planners and policy-makers in the future.

Based on the local road traffic conditions in Beijing, China, this contribution proposes a rapid modeling method for road traffic noise sources. Since establishing the standardized experiment fields are expensive, real roads are used to determine the road traffic noise emission model in the method. Due to the similarity in the urban structures in China and Japan, this paper uses the ASJ- 2013 model as a template and replaces its model parameters with the ones output by an optimization program which minimizes the sum of absolute errors between the predicted and the measured LAeq. Real road experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the modeling method. The mean error of the model deduced by the method and the ASJ-2013 model is respectively 0.4 dB and 2.6 dB, and the mean absolute error of the two models is respectively 1.1 dB and 2.6 dB. The results of the real road experiments show that the road traffic noise sources deduced by the method are more accurate to conduct local noise prediction than those of other models.

NADIA, acronym of Noise Abatement Demonstrative and Innovative Actions and information to the public, was a European Project funded as part of the announcement Life+ 2009 between October 2010 and June 2014. Five Italian partners were involved in the project: two provinces, (Genova, the coordinating beneficiary, and Savona), two municipalities (Vicenza and Prato), and a technical coordinator (CIRIAF/University of Perugia). All the public bodies were obliged to perform the actions required by the Environmental Noise Directive, i.e., noise mappings of major roads for the provinces and of the agglomerations for the municipalities and the consequent noise action plans. The four public bodies, with the support of the research centre, decided to go beyond the mandatory requirements of END in order to achieve the following main objectives: (i) to improve the methodologies for the realization of noisemappings and action plans, with a particular focus on road traffic noise; (ii) to increase the awareness of citizens and of potential stakeholders by focused communication and dissemination activities; (iii) to assess the technical and economic feasibility of best practices in tackling road traffic noise. The paper reports a summary of the activities performed by the partners during the project.

CITYHUSH project supports city administrations in the implementation of noise action plans according to the EU directive 2002/49/EC. The action “Noise and vibration control at source – Acoustically green vehicles” validates noise score rating models in a case in the Athens area, including Q-Zones (Quiet zones) and embedded parks, identifying perceived benefits on noise. Annoyance for PTW (powered two-wheeler) is masked in general traffic annoyance. However, a PTW pass may become recognizable and clearly distinct within the traffic noise environment formed by the road traffic flow and synthesis. Several strategic noise mapping scenarios with high noise levels from PTWs, as well as low frequency noise annoyance events, were evaluated proving that the noise levels in a Q-Zone and embedded parks may be reduced with an increased park capacity. Measures with a special focus on the reduction of conventionally powered motorbikes and scooters (PTWs) were evaluated. PTW’s emission values were derived, from known values and past measurements, in the form of a correction function as a function of speed to perform simulation analysis for various analogies of conventionally versus electrically driven PTWs. Relevant noise difference maps indicate noise reductions, especially when additional measures are included, such as speed limits.

Noise pollution in urban environments is today a major problem affecting inhabitants of many European cities. Reducing noise is therefore a necessity. As a result, many cities now have noise action plans comprising concrete actions to tackle noise issues in affected areas. Nevertheless, these often isolated documents only address existing problems. In order to change this practice an integrated strategy is necessary. A new approach to urban sound planning, a holistic approach, is being developed and tested within the SONORUS project and it is described in this paper. SONORUS, the Urban Sound Planner project, is an initial training network (ITN) that is educating researchers in a whole range of acoustic disciplines, as well as in advanced urban planning processes. An essential part of this training is the application of the holistic approach to real test sites. Although this is an ongoing work, a few innovative techniques were already developed and its application to the test sites resulted in improved urban sound planning tools. This paper promotes the discussion about the implications that the holistic approach might have in urban sound planning policies and how it can be a driving force for changing the noise pollution situation in urban environments.