13 July 2013

Urban Roar ~ NYTimes on the Noisy City...

Cara Buckley writes in the NYTimes Behind City’s Painful Din, Culprits High and Low...
"Silence has become a luxury in New York that only a scant few can truly afford, and cultural, technological and economic changes in recent years have added to the din everyone else must endure, creating not just one culprit, but many. [...] Noise has become harder than ever to escape, though New York City, now in its second century of noise abatement efforts, has managed to quiet some offenders of the past, like boom boxes and car alarms. Interviews with residents in affected areas, officials, soundproofing professionals and audio experts not only confirm the creep in round-the-clock outside noise, but suggest that its potential ill effects can rival those caused by deliberately manipulated, high-decibel assaults inside stores, clubs and restaurants. [...] The constant buzz of New York City is, to some, part of its allure, a life sign of a relentlessly restless, vibrant, ever in-motion city that stands in contrast to the sleepy silence of the suburbs, or to cities with hollowed-out urban cores. [...] Beyond harming hearing, chronic exposure to noise increases the risk of cardiovascular disease..."
Indeed, among the innovations we need are quiet construction techniques, whispering helicopters, and more!

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