Urban centers are usually loud. But when do the sounds of the city become noise? And why is that a problem? DW reporter Anna Sacco went in search of answers and a bit of peace and quiet in the urban jungle.

Berlin

Noise pollution is a prevalent issue in urban environments, with sounds often exceeding safe levels and posing health risks. According to researchers, noise is the second major environmental stressor after air pollution and can lead to sleep disturbances, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive impairment, especially in children.

Efforts are underway to address this problem, including initiatives like the HushCity app, which enables citizens to locate and record quiet spots in their cities. By involving the public in identifying and protecting these areas, urban planners hope to reduce noise pollution and promote healthier city living.

Explained: Noise pollution in cities

Ah, being out in nature with a good book, nothing better. If you, like me, live in a big city, it's pretty hard to find a little peace and quiet. Noise pollution, it's everywhere you go. But what is noise anyway? Noise, a sound, especially one that's loud or unpleasant. From a physics standpoint, though, noise and sound are the same thing. Both are vibrations that travel through the air around us. But there is a slight problem with our definition. What I consider noisy might not be noisy for you. Still, we can measure sound levels. Going over 85 decibels is potentially dangerous. And not only for your ears. Antonella Radicchi researches noise and healthy living in the city. Why is noise such a problem in the city? Noise is the second environmental stressor after air pollution. It is a health risk, as it is just defined by the World Health Organization. Noise can cause sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, among children especially. So constant noise is actually bad for you. And it's a problem all over the world. A large international study has even suggested a link between hearing loss and noise pollution in big cities. But how can we escape the sounds of the city? Urban planners like Radicchi are already working on solutions. What will the city of the future look like? I don't know how it will look like, but I could imagine how it will sound like. So I would imagine a city populated with natural sounds like water sounds and birds chirping. These sounds have been indicated as positive sounds by people using the HushCity app. The HushCity app is a research project Radicchi started in 2017. It's supposed to help people discover oases of quiet in their cities. I've downloaded the app to my phone. Now all I need to do is to record the sound of a quiet spot, take a picture, answer a few questions and add it to the HushCity database. Ok, let's go. Out and about in the name of science. Radicchi needs helpers like me to collect her data. The help of citizens is fundamental. People that live and work in spaces in cities are the real experts of our cities. It sure is fun to be a citizen scientist. But finding a quiet spot is definitely proving a challenge. The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to the identification and protection of quiet areas in cities. And this measure is very effective in contributing to the reduction of noise pollution in cities. Let's check out the quiet spots my fellow citizen scientists already found. Ah, just what I was looking for. Feel free to join me. But please, be quiet around here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will do "anything" to advance EU accession talks. Zelenskyy spoke alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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Washington

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Gilimanuk

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Tehran

Iran Strikes

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Boise

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Moscow

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