Sound Equity: The Unequal Impacts of Covid’s ‘Great Silence’

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many urban residents experienced a never-before-heard stillness. But as urban noise returns in full force, Erica D. Walker, a researcher in community noise in urban environments, describes the dangers of excessive noise in an article in Streetsblog USA. “The health impacts associated with higher noise levels are brutal. They can limit the quantity and quality of our restorative sleep and disrupt our mood so profoundly that our body activates a flight-or-fight response,” Walker writes.

In the United States, harmful noise levels aren’t distributed equitably, Walker adds. “A very quick scan of our nation’s urban planning policies and practices will clearly show you that we as a country have a refined knack for dumping acoustical trash – like highways, airports, and truck depots – into the laps of those with very little power to fight back.” Many of these places continued to function in some capacity, providing essential services during the pandemic. A study by Walker’s organization, Community Noise Lab, also found that minority communities in Boston continued to experience high noise levels during the height of the pandemic in part due to a rise in fireworks activity. Cities including Paris, France have started testing automated enforcement of noise limits using decibel meters and cameras.