Understanding Noise Pollution
Noise cannot be silenced by covering it, as vibrations can still travel and be heard, and it’s often harder to silence noise without removing its source. Cities, especially loud ones like New York City, can quiet noise pollution through design, such as separating busy roads from residential and work areas, or using barriers to reduce noise.
Designing for Noise Reduction
Designers of New York’s Central Park in the 1850s used a wall to reflect sound from the street away from the park, creating a calm environment. Experts recommend limiting environmental noise exposure to 70 DB over 24 hours. To mitigate sound, modifying the terrain by creating some elevation change can help absorb and reflect sound, reducing noise pollution.
- Separating busy roads from residential and work areas
- Using barriers to reduce noise
- Modifying terrain to absorb and reflect sound
Mitigating Noise in Urban Spaces
Designing urban spaces like Little Island park in Manhattan involves complex considerations, including mitigating noise from nearby highways and industrial sites. The park’s shape and plant placement were carefully planned to block sound, while the wind through trees helps mask highway noise.
Addressing a city’s noise problem requires considering sound from public transit systems below street level, where high-speed trains create significant noise. Vibration from train wheels on subway tracks travels through tunnels, ground, and into nearby buildings, converting into sound that can be heard and felt by people living above subways.
Reducing Subway Noise
However, engineers can mitigate this issue by insulating tracks from the ground using resilient fasteners that absorb vibration and adding sound-absorbing treatments to stations and train platforms. The 96th Street Station at Second Avenue subway incorporates sound-absorbing treatment to reduce track noise and improve train acoustics, allowing passengers to better understand announcements and making the overall experience more pleasant by minimizing reverberation and noise.
Managing Noise in Public Venues
Noise that bothers people most often comes from construction or other people, and is typically repetitive, impulsive, or tonal, with sounds between 500 Hz and 2 kHz being most sensitive to the human ear. A concert venue in New York City, Brooklyn Steel, was designed with good room acoustics, featuring sound-absorbing material and a sound system that beams sound directly to the audience.
The venue also has a perimeter wall and a roof covered in grass and plants to insulate noise, allowing sound engineers to maintain optimal sound levels without excessive reverberation. To address noise pollution, a facility called the Sound Lab simulates the acoustics of future projects, immersing clients in virtual spaces to assess potential noise impacts.
The Importance of Noise Pollution Mitigation
Noise pollution from sports arenas can have a huge impact on health and quality of life, causing stress and increasing the risk for heart disease. Engineers have tools to address the issue, but cities may need to establish and enforce standards to ensure these tools are used, requiring a proactive approach to harmonize buildings and people with noise and acoustics considerations.
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Pronunciation | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vibrations | /vaɪˈbreɪʃənz/ | The act of vibrating or the state of being vibrated, often referring to the oscillations or back-and-forth movements of objects. | The vibration from the train wheels on the subway tracks travels through the tunnels and into nearby buildings. |
| Barriers | /ˈbærɪərz/ | Objects or structures that block or obstruct the passage of something, such as sound or noise. | Using barriers to reduce noise from busy roads is an effective way to minimize noise pollution. |
| Decibels (DB) | /ˈdɛsɪbəlz/ | A unit of measurement for the intensity of sound, with higher numbers indicating louder sounds. | Experts recommend limiting environmental noise exposure to 70 DB over 24 hours. |
| Resilient | /rɪˈzɪliənt/ | Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions or challenges, such as vibrations or noise. | Resilient fasteners can absorb vibration from train wheels, reducing noise pollution. |
| Reverberation | /ˌrɛvərˈbeɪʃən/ | The persistence of sound after the original sound has stopped, often causing echoes or a “hollow” effect. | Minimizing reverberation in public venues can improve the overall sound quality and listener experience. |
| Acoustics | /əˈkuːstɪks/ | The study of sound, including its production, transmission, and effects, often applied to the design of buildings and public spaces. | Good room acoustics are essential for concert venues to ensure high-quality sound and minimal echo. |
| Insulate | /ˈɪnsjʊleɪt/ | To separate or protect something from external influences, such as sound or temperature, often using materials that reduce transmission. | Insulating tracks from the ground can help reduce vibration and noise from subway trains. |
| Simulate | /ˈsɪmjʊleɪt/ | To imitate or replicate the conditions of a real situation, often using models or virtual environments, to test or predict outcomes. | The Sound Lab simulates the acoustics of future projects to assess potential noise impacts. |
| Harmonize | /hɑːrˈmɒnɪzaɪz/ | To bring different things into a pleasing or effective combination, often referring to the coordination of sounds or environmental factors. | Cities need to harmonize buildings and people with noise and acoustics considerations to mitigate noise pollution. |
| Impulsive | /ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/ | Relating to or characterized by sudden, strong impulses, often referring to sounds that are brief but intense. | Impulsive noises, such as those from construction, can be particularly bothersome to people. |
| Tonal | /ˈtoʊnəl/ | Relating to or characterized by tone, often referring to sounds that have a specific pitch or frequency. | Tonal noises, such as those from alarms, can be particularly annoying due to their specific pitch. |
| Frequency | /ˈfrɛkwənsi/ | The number of occurrences or repetitions of a phenomenon, such as sound waves, per unit of time. | Sounds between 500 Hz and 2 kHz are most sensitive to the human ear due to their frequency. |
| Mask | /mæsk/ | To cover or conceal something, such as sound, often using another sound or noise to make it less noticeable. | The wind through trees helps mask highway noise in urban parks. |
| Elevation | /ˌɛlɪˈveɪʃən/ | The height or level of something, such as terrain, above a reference point, often used to describe changes in landscape or geography. | Creating elevation change in terrain can help absorb and reflect sound, reducing noise pollution. |
| Proactive | /proʊˈæktɪv/ | Taking action to prevent or solve problems before they become serious, often involving planning and initiative. | Cities need to take a proactive approach to address noise pollution by implementing noise reduction strategies. |
| Repetitive | /rɪˈpɛtɪtɪv/ | Characterized by or involving the repetition of something, such as sounds or actions, often in a regular or predictable pattern. | Repetitive noises, such as those from construction, can be particularly annoying due to their consistent and predictable pattern. |
| Optimal | /ˈɒptɪməl/ | Best or most effective under given conditions, often referring to the most desirable or favorable state of something. | Sound engineers aim to maintain optimal sound levels in concert venues to ensure a high-quality listening experience. |
| Perimeter | /pəˈrɪmɪtər/ | The outer boundary or edge of something, such as a building or area, often used to describe the limits or extent of a space. | The perimeter wall of a concert venue helps insulate noise and prevent sound from escaping. |
Acoustic Engineer Fixes NYC Subway, Parks and Buildings to Limit Noise | WSJ Pro Perfected 🎓
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Grammar Focus
Grammar Focus: The Use of Passive Voice in Technical Writing
The passive voice is often used in technical writing to focus on the action rather than the person performing the action. In the context of noise pollution mitigation, the passive voice can be used to describe the effects of noise and the methods used to reduce it. For example, ‘The terrain can be modified to absorb and reflect sound’ or ‘The tracks are insulated from the ground using resilient fasteners.’ This grammatical structure is useful for presenting information in a clear and concise manner, without emphasizing the doer of the action.
