Noise and Air Pollution in European Cities

Abstract

Environmental noise is part of the daily life of many people. This might be particularly true for the European Union (EU). As one of the world's densely populated and urbanized areas, most people will likely be affected by high environmental noise levels since extensive infrastructure and transportation networks are the main contributors to noise pollution.

Noise pollution substantially impacts the affected local community's physical, mental, and general well-being. Academic research confirmed the consequences of high environmental noise levels on human health (Boes et al., 2013; Schlenker & Walker, 2016) and overall well-being (Lawton & Fujiwara, 2016). Environmental noise can be associated with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, high heart rates, and lower sleep quality (Babisch et al., 2005; Münzel et al., 2014; Vienneau et al., 2015). So, noise pollution is generally disturbing and detrimental to the individual's health.

Selective Outputs

Noise Pollution in Bolzano (Italy)

Figure 1: Noise Pollution in Bolzano (Day vs Night) (Source: Own Figure)

Key points:

Identified noise sources: Industrial plants, railroads, and streets

Street noise is the most prominent source

Noise sources are clustered in the west and the city center; large areas in the south and (partially) in the north are completely noise-free

Noise Exposure by Country

Figure 2: Noise Exposure by Country (Day vs Night) (Source: Own Figure)

Key points:

Considered countries: Belgium, Germany, and Italy

Around 10% of the population is exposed to noise levels between 55 dB(A) and 59 dB(A) during the day

Exposed population's share is decreasing with noise level increases

Air Pollution in Leuven (Belgium)

Figure 3: Air Pollution in Leuven (Belgium) (Source: Own Figure)

Key points:

High values (around 12.5 μg/m³) in the city center

Many grids (size of 1x1km) show values of 12.5 μg/m³

and higher

Population Munich (Germany)

Figure 4: Population at grid-level of Munich (Germany) (Source: Own Figure)

Key points:

High population density in the city center with grids (size of 1x1km) with 22,000 people

Population density decreases with increasing distance from the city center

Low population density in the north-west where large green areas are located

Combination of Noise and Air Pollution in Munich (Germany)

Figure 5: Combination of Noise and Air Pollution in Munich (Germany) (Source: Own Figure)

Key points:

Using the tool of bivariate maps to show the spatial correlation between noise and air pollution

High noise and air pollution levels in the city center

High noise pollution around the city center

High air pollution levels in the north

Sources

• Babisch, W., Beule, B., Schust, M., Kersten, N., & Ising, H. (2005). Traffic Noise and Risk of Myocardial Infarction. Epidemiology, 16 (1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ede.0000147104.84424.24.
• Boes, S., Nüesch, S., & Stillman, S. (2013). Aircraft Noise, Health, and Residential Sorting: Evidence from Two Quasi-Experiments. Health Economics, 22 (9), 1037–1051. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.2948.
• Lawton, R. N., & Fujiwara, D. (2016). Living with Aircraft Noise: Airport Proximity, Aviation Noise and Subjective Wellbeing in England. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 42, 104–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2015.11.002.
• Münzel, T., Gori, T., Babisch, W., & Basner, M. (2014). Cardiovascular Effects of Environmental Noise Exposure. European Heart Journal, 35 (13), 829–836. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu030.
• Schlenker, W., & Walker, W. R. (2016). Airports, Air Pollution, and Contemporaneous Health. The Review of Economic Studies, 83 (2), 768–809. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdv043.
• Vienneau, D., Schindler, C., Perez, L., Probst-Hensch, N., & R¨o¨osli, M. (2015). The Relationship Between Transportation Noise Exposure and Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Environmental Research, 138, 372–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2015.02.023.

Data Sources

• European Environment Agency (EEA). (2017). EIONET - Central Data Repository: Environmental Noise Directive - Strategic Noise Maps [Data set]. https://www.eionet.europa.eu/.[Accessed: February 2023].
• European Environment Agency (EEA). (2021). Reported Data on Noise Exposure Covered by Directive 2002/49/EC [Data set]. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/data-on-noise-exposure-8. [Accessed: February 2023].
• Eurostat. (2021). European Grid Data Based on Eurostat-GISCO Database and GEOSTAT [Data set]. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/gisco. [Accessed: February 2023.].
• Eurostat. (2022). Population on 1 January. Data Code: TPS00001 [Data set]. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/TPS00001/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkId=c0aa2b16-607c-4429-abb3-a4c8d74f7d1e. [Accessed: February 2023].
• Washington University. (2021). Surface PM2.5. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group – Washington University in St. Louis [Data set]. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ [Accessed: March 2023].

Disclaimer

This repository and the corresponding output have been part of the project: Activation of NATURE-based solutions for a JUST low carbon transition funded by European Commission, Horizon 2020. All rights reserved the author of the code Dr. Patrick Thiel.