When we think about nature, we often think about the parts of it that we can see. But the parts that we can hear are just as important, as two experts recently pointed out in an article in The Conversation.
Carlos Abrahams, a senior lecturer in environmental assessment and director of ecoacoustics from Nottingham Trent University, collaborated with Usue Ruiz-Arana, a senior lecturer in landscape architecture from Newcastle University, to give an overview of how we can design our environments to create positive soundscapes.
"Sounds are integral parts of any landscape," they explained. "Human-made noise can be so loud and so pervasive in some areas that it blocks the natural sounds that would otherwise be audible."
This kind of noise pollution affects human health and well-being. "The damaging soundscapes of European urban areas contribute to 12,000 premature deaths and cost €40 billion [about $46 billion] every year," Abrahams and Ruiz-Arana wrote. It also interferes with wildlife, changing their behavior and sometimes having a direct effect on their populations.
Luckily, we can take some simple steps to reduce the effects of human noise pollution on people and animals.
The authors cited the example of Barcelona, where planners are creating "superblocks" with automobile-accessible roads around the outside and pedestrian walkways on the inside. This reduces the car noise within the blocks.
Buffers such as rows of trees, walls, and banks of earth can block noise. Even plowed fields can help reduce the noise from an airport, for example.
Adding positive sounds, such as flowing water, can also help counter negative sounds. Rewilding spaces with native plants is a big help because it invites wildlife.
As Abrahams and Ruiz-Arana pointed out, these solutions don't just work in cities. "Noise is not just an urban issue. Rural landscapes are adversely affected by agriculture, quarrying and tourism," they wrote. "By considering sound as a key element of sustainability and resilience, spaces can support biodiversity while enhancing the wellbeing and quality of life of the people in these communities."
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