Disturbed sleep, stress and increased blood pressure

A matter of knowledge
Long-term, the goal must be to reduce noise levels generally. But as the programme Soundscape Support to Health shows, improvements can be achieved even in the short term, using relatively simple, quick and inexpensive solutions.
     Rarely do researchers find such clear confirmation of their hypotheses as they have done in this programme: that a good ‘sound environment´ cannot be measured in decibels alone, and that access to silence is both a health and a social issue. And rarely is it so relatively simple to apply the knowledge gained, and thus to make a difference to people´s health and well-being. Interdisciplinary collaboration - between acousticians, environmental health experts and psychologists - has been a great success.
     ‘Tackling noise problems isn´t primarily a question of cost,´ says programme director Kjell Spång. ‘It´s a matter of knowledge and the necessary will.´
     This research programme is introducing a completely new way of thinking about noise. Instead of focusing exclusively on the blunt-edged decibel standards of today, it is looking at how we humans perceive different sounds, and how those sounds affect us. The programme talks about ‘soundscapes´, with the emphasis on both elements of the word: sound and (land)scape.
 
Holistic view
It is not enough just to look at the local environment; to get to grips with the problems, a holistic view is needed. The current strategy of tackling noise sources one by one is not enough. And measuring noise in decibels alone provides far too little information; many more factors have to be taken into account. Like the fact that the noise ‘footprint´ of a busy road covers a larger area than previously believed, and that both meteorology and topography have an impact. As do psychological, social and medical factors. For soundscapes, like visual landscapes, are both a physical and a perceived environment. Consequently, good soundscapes in towns and cities could be planned far more effectively if people´s perceptions of the sound environment as a whole were taken into account.
     Mats Hammarqvist, at the consultancy firm WSP Akustik in Göteborg, draws a striking comparison between the intimidating silence of an empty railway station and the booming flight of a tiny and (in decibel terms) quiet mosquito on a warm summer´s night. His work involves producing data for use in planning new housing areas and upgrading old ones. He is following the researchers´ work closely and with great interest.
     ‘Most exciting of all is the possibility of finding a new, more relevant way of describing noise problems,´ he says.
     Now he is looking forward to the practical tools that are to be developed, such as computer software to perform calculations, tangible guidelines, and descriptions of typical examples.
     The researchers involved in the programme have gone out into the real world, into existing housing areas.
     ‘That´s a great advantage, of course, especially as estimates made prior to construction hardly ever tally with how things end up once the homes are built,´ Hammarqvist points out.
     A large number of volunteers, accompanied by researchers, have walked round different environments, describing both what they hear and how they perceive it. They have been interviewed and asked to fill in questionnaires. They have listened to recorded sounds in laboratories. Had their sleep measured and its quality assessed.
     ‘Having nowhere in your home that is quiet can be directly detrimental to your health,´ comments Barbro Westerholm, a doctor with a background both as a politician and as head of the National Board of Health and Welfare, who now chairs the programme board.
     ‘Everyone needs a place in their home where they can sleep without disturbance, rest at the end of the working day, or simply concentrate.´

Quiet side most important
Measurements consistently point to the same conclusion: that the most important thing is to ensure that every home has a quiet side.
     ‘In the long term, of course, the aim must be to reduce noise levels generally. But in the short term we can create far better sound environments for a large number of people, simply by providing buildings with a quiet side. This is more important than was once thought, and is sometimes relatively simple to achieve.´
     Successful trials have been run in Stockholm, Örebro and Göteborg, using methods such as blocking up spaces between buildings and redesigning apartments to run the entire width of a building. Now a full-scale project is being launched in Partille, in a large residential area near the E20 motorway.
     In Örebro, measurements and surveys were performed before and after construction work along Rudbecksgatan, a very busy street carrying 26,000 vehicles a day. Inger Sundström, the town´s chief planning officer and another member of the programme board, is enthusiastic.
     ‘We´re benefiting directly from these research findings. Previously, we haven´t taken account of remote noise sources which also have an impact - aircraft, motorway and rail traffic. We´ve relied on estimates of noise from the nearby street. If you do that, there´s obviously a risk of getting your priorities wrong.´
     The results of the research are being put to direct use, for example on the Markbacken estate, where major redevelopment is currently under way. One consequence is that plans to demolish some of the buildings are to be re-examined.
     ‘It may turn out to be better to leave them where they are, so as not to let more noise into the area.´

Informing and influencing
Collaboration and synthesis have been key elements of the programme.
     ‘That´s how we find our solutions,´ says Barbro Westerholm. ‘By making use of all the expertise available in different quarters. And by tackling problems on the basis of our different areas of knowledge and spheres of interest.
     ‘The first time I heard the expression “the valley of death", I immediately understood what it meant. We must make sure our results don´t end up there.´
     With the programme now into its second phase, the crucial challenge is to communicate its findings to everyone involved in physical planning and housing construction. And to influence politicians and other decision makers. That is why the programme director and board are now putting a lot of effort into information and lobbying.
     ‘The goal is to establish a new regulatory framework, at every level, from the EU down to national and local government, and a new approach to transport and urban planning,´ says Kjell Spång. ‘But also to promote an interest in certifying soundscapes from an amenity and health point of view, thereby giving them a clearer, measurable value.´