How To Limit Urban Noise

“In the world of occupational health, there’s long been awareness around the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, and today noise protection is a key part of workplace health and safety,” writes Emma Durand-Wood in a piece for Strong Towns.

But public health officials know less about “environmental noise,” the everyday sources of urban sound defined by the World Health Organization as “unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise from road, rail, airports and from industrial sites.”

More recently, research results have elevated noise pollution from a nuisance to a potentially severe health risk. “We now know that higher levels of environmental noise raise heart rate and blood pressure, cause harmful sleep interruptions, and are linked to cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cognitive impairment in children, among others.” In many U.S. cities, the racial and economic disparities that dictate where people live mean lower-income communities are often more exposed to excessive noise in addition to other harmful pollution.

Some urban noise is inevitable. But what can cities do to mitigate the damage and dampen unpleasant sounds? For one, they can plant more trees. “Adding trees or extra layers of vegetation alongside traditional noise barrier walls can significantly boost noise reduction.” 

Durand-Wood also recommends permitting multifamily housing in more places—“Folks who prefer to or must live somewhere other than a single-family home shouldn’t be relegated to the noisiest areas, but in many places, multi-family housing is only being built along major corridors”—and reducing vehicle speeds and speed limits, which is shown to reduce the amount of associated road noise. Through relatively simple interventions, “Urban environments don’t need to be inherently noisy and harmful.”