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Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 16684

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Timothy Van Renterghem

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Guest Editor

Department of Information Technology, WAVES Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, iGent-Technologiepark 126, B 9052 Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Interests: urban planning; environmental noise; road traffic noise; prediction schemes; green noise abatement; outdoor sound propagation; sound perception

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exposure to environmental noise is typically considered as the second most important environmental concern in the built-up area. Although its negative impact on the health and well-being of citizens is strong and well recognized, noise pollution management is still most often applied as a post-hoc measure. As a result, such solutions (like e.g. a traditional concrete noise walls) not only have a negative visual impact on the landscape, but could also lead to poor overall abatement efficiencies.

This special issue seeks for intervention studies, methodologies and conceptual frameworks, showing how environmental noise concerns can be included (early) in the urban design process. Since human perception is essentially multi-sensorial, a holistic approach to the perceived living environment is mandatory. Among others, audio-visual interactions can be strong and could be a key concern. Continued research is needed here; a main question is how this translates to the urban planning process and the final decision-making, where conflicting demands might appear. While multi-criteria design of the urban environment, including environmental noise, is the primary goal of this special issue, more basic research aiming at increased understanding of any of the topics mentioned here is welcome as well.

Prof. Dr. Timothy Van Renterghem
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

environmental noise
audio-visual interactions
noise perception
holistic urban design
environmental perception
multi-criteria decision making

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 9299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of University Campus Noise Map Based on Noise Propagation Model: A Case in Guangxi University

by Xianfeng Huang, Jinyi Liu and Zhaolin Meng

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8613; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148613 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1660

Abstract

Considering the characteristics of a campus environment and the rules that govern outdoor sound propagation, this paper identifies traffic noise as the dominant noise source of the campus environment based on the measurement of the noise environment. A noise propagation model that is suitable for university campuses was developed and used it was to create a noise map of the ambient area of the teaching building on the campus of Guangxi University. This noise map was then utilized to analyze the noise environment. The results revealed that for a given teaching building, the noise disturbance on high-rise classrooms is more significant compared to the impact on low-rise classrooms. Attention should then be paid to noise control in the high-rise classroom of the building. By appropriately increasing the distance between the building and the main traffic road or by adopting a judicious soundscape design that considers the shape of the building, it is possible to effectively reduce the interference of noise during teaching activities in a building and improve the sound quality of the campus environment. The results of this study provide a theoretical framework for the governance of the campus acoustic environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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31 pages, 21426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Methodologies for the Development of Large-Scale Airport Noise Map

by Jinlong Xie, Lei Zhu and Hsiao Mun Lee

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6573; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14116573 - 27 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1648

Abstract

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (BIA) is the core airport of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area. This study produced the noise maps of BIA during summer and winter using a simplified calculation method for the weighted equivalent continuous perceived noise level (

L_{WECPN}

[...] Read more.

L_{WECPN}

). Particularly, this method used open-source flight data and short-term noise measurement to replace the traditional long-term noise measurement method. The accuracy of the developed noise map was verified by the field experimental data with an average error of 1.5 dB. The noise maps were analyzed in many aspects including the area and population under different noise levels, the spatial distribution of the aircraft noise, the distribution of noise sensitive points, and the land use condition around BIA. It was manifested that about 22.22% and 25.46% of the total population of the five administrative regions were exposed to

L_{WECPN}

> 70 dB during summer and winter, respectively. The total area within the noise-affected area that violated the noise limit were about 18.740 km² and 18.109 km² during summer and winter, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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23 pages, 16272 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Urban Traffic Noise Mapping Using Building Simplification in the Panyu District of Guangzhou City, China

by Hsiao Mun Lee, Wensheng Luo, Jinlong Xie and Heow Pueh Lee

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4465; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14084465 - 08 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2363

Abstract

This study constructed an urban traffic noise map (including road and railway traffic noises) of the Panyu District in Guangzhou City by combining field measurement and numerical modeling methods. This noise map was then used to identify the area covered by different noise quality levels and the compliance rate of traffic noise in various acoustic environment functional areas throughout the day, night and day–night. The results showed that traffic noise pollution along the traffic arteries was severe. The area with heavy noise pollution was as large as 157.5 km

^{2}

(29.72%) and 146.2 km

^{2}

(27.59%) in the day and night, respectively. The total area of the Panyu District that complied with the noise limit in the day and night was 326.5 km

^{2}

(61.62%) and 87.2 km

^{2}

(16.46%), respectively. The outcomes of the current efforts can provide new technical guidelines for novel construction and analysis methods for large scale urban traffic noise mapping. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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14 pages, 2414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sex Differences in the Expression of c-fos in a Rat Brain after Exposure to Environmental Noise

by David Fernández-Quezada, Sonia Luquín, Yaveth Ruvalcaba-Delgadillo, Joaquin García-Estrada and Fernando Jauregui-Huerta

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2798; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052798 - 27 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2061

Abstract

Noise is an inarticulate stimulus that threatens health and well-being. It compromises audition and induces a strong stress response that activates the brain at several levels. In the present study, we expose male and female rats to environmental noise in order to investigate if acute or chronic stimulation produces differential brain activation patterns. The animals were exposed to a rat’s audiogram-fitted adaptation of a noisy environment and later sacrificed to quantify the expression of the brain activity marker c-fos. Additionally, the serum corticosterone (CORT) levels were measured to elucidate possible the stress-related effects of noise. It was found that environmental noise differentially increased the serum CORT levels in male and female rats. We identified 17 brain regions outside the classical auditory circuits with a high expression of c-fos, including the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, habenular complex, septum, cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, insular cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. Overall, we evidenced that females exhibit less intense c-fos expression in most of the examined areas. We concluded that females might be less affected by the changes produced by environmental noise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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17 pages, 2514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Impact of Aviation Noise on Housing Prices Using New Estimated Noise Value: The Case of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

by Hsiu-Chang Tsao and Chi-Jie Lu

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1713; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031713 - 01 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2668

Abstract

Aviation noise at airports has a significant impact on nearby residents’ quality of life and residential property values. This study evaluated the impact of aviation noise based on house prices by using three different hedonic price models. Two novel independent noise variables, the estimated aviation noise value and noise reward fund are proposed for constructing effective hedonic price models. The real data of real estate transactions from the region defined by the Taoyuan International Airport’s 60–64 dB day-night average sound level (Ldn) and ≥65 dB Ldn noise contours are adopted as empirical data. Empirical results showed that the double-log hedonic price model with the proposed estimated aviation noise variables is the most suitable model for this study. Based on the double-log model, this study found that aviation noise has a significant negative impact on house prices in both noise contour areas of 60–64 dB Ldn and ≥65 dB Ldn. The rate of decline in house prices is approximately USD 2356.02/dB and USD 3622.78/dB in the 60–64 dB Ldn and ≥65 dB Ldn contour areas, respectively. Our results also showed that the noise reward fund had no significant impact on the house prices which implies that the current subsidy method has been maintained at an appropriate level for Taoyuan International Airport. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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16 pages, 2964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Soundscape of the Public Space Close to a Highway by a Noise Control Intervention

by Timothy Van Renterghem, Francesco Aletta and Dick Botteldooren

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5284; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13095284 - 09 May 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2644

Abstract

The deployment of measures to mitigate sound during propagation outdoors is most often a compromise between the acoustic design, practical limitations, and visual preferences regarding the landscape. The current study of a raised berm next to a highway shows a number of common issues like the impact of the limited length of the noise shielding device, initially non-dominant sounds becoming noticeable, local drops in efficiency when the barrier is not fully continuous, and overall limited abatement efficiencies. Detailed assessments of both the objective and subjective effect of the intervention, both before and after the intervention was deployed, using the same methodology, showed that especially the more noise sensitive persons benefit from the noise abatement. Reducing the highest exposure levels did not result anymore in a different perception compared to more noise insensitive persons. People do react to spatial variation in exposure and abatement efficiency. Although level reductions might not be excessive in many real-life complex multi-source situations, they do improve the perception of the acoustic environment in the public space. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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Other

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 824 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Effects of Façades on Urban Acoustic Environment and Soundscape: A Systematic Review

by Alvaro Balderrama, Jian Kang, Alejandro Prieto, Alessandra Luna-Navarro, Daniel Arztmann and Ulrich Knaack

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9670; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14159670 - 05 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2506

Abstract

Façades cover a significant amount of surfaces in cities and are in constant interaction with the acoustic environment. Noise pollution is one of the most concerning burdens for public health and wellbeing; however, façade acoustic performance is generally not considered in outdoor spaces, in contrast to indoor spaces. This study presents a systematic literature review examining 40 peer-reviewed papers regarding the effects of façades on the urban acoustic environment and the soundscape. Façades affect sound pressure levels and reverberation time in urban spaces and can affect people’s perception of the acoustic environment. The effects are classified into three groups: Effects of façades on the urban acoustic environment, including sound-reflecting, sound-absorbing and sound-producing effects; Effects of façades on the urban soundscape, including auditory and non-auditory effects; Effects of the context on the acoustic environment around façades, including boundary effects and atmospheric effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Living Environments: Holistic Noise Pollution Management)

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