Inner-city living makes for healthier, happier people - so said a study carried out last year. The research, carried out by Oxford University and the University of Hong Kong (UHK) found that residents of higher-density areas are more active, more socially engaged – and less obese – than people who live in the sprawl of suburbia.
But what the study failed to address is the growing problem of noise pollution.
Sweco Urban Insight Report A recent report by Sweco Urban Insight has revealed that people need more than big buildings, a variety of hobbies and access to social interaction to make them healthy and happy. In fact, it concluded that “good urban planning and design, along with sound engineering solutions, are required to make a meaningful difference for today’s and tomorrow’s European citizens.” So, what did they mean? Well, the report discusses the causes and effects of noise pollution – and their effects can be quite catastrophic.
Any form of pollution is a contamination of the natural environment that causes ‘adverse change’ and noise pollution refers to harmful levels of noise. Several studies have found noise pollution to be harmful to our health, both mentally and psychologically. Data collected from European countries in 2012 revealed that noise pollution is responsible for an estimated 10,000 premature deaths per year, five million people suffer from sleep disturbance and noise exposure causes 500,000 cases of hypertension.
The Sweco Urban Insight Report looks at how we can work towards reducing noise and air pollution which often originate from the same source – such as traffic.
How can we help reduce noise pollution? Noise pollution, fortunately, can be mitigated in many ways. There are strategies to do with traffic that could be put in place, for example improving public transport, footpaths and cycling routes. It can also be alleviated at the source by using products such as noise barriers, that create a barrier between the noise and the public.
Our products protect the environment from the harmful pollution that can be cause from construction sites. As technology develops, solutions will be improved and hopefully more options will be created and available. Reducing noise pollution is something that we are passionate about. The effects of noise pollution are often easily preventable however due to a lack of awareness regarding the effects of noise pollution, often people don’t comprehend the need for noise mitigation products.
However, we are trying to fix this issue… one barrier at a time.