Authors' objectives:

The aim of this report is to address the following questions:

1. What information is available on the health benefits of areas free from noise inside and outside cities and what additional research is required?

2 What information is available on the need for quiet areas inside and outside cities and what additional research is required?

3 What are the best criteria for testing the acoustic quality in comparatively quiet areas inside and outside cities for their capacity to prevent or limit the disturbances to the enjoyment of silence?

Authors' recommendations: While little research has as yet been carried out into the health effects of silence, it is easily conceivable that a quiet environment may compensate annoyance and stress caused by noisy home and work environments. The absence of noise can moreover be a major factor in the stress-alleviating effects of a natural, green environment. Preferably, these areas should be available close to home, to ensure that annoyance and opportunities for recovery are not too far apart and can be reached by as many people as possible. Therefore quiet spaces in towns are important as well. The present limited knowledge of their health benefits notwithstanding, a greater focus on the importance of (small) quiet areas in cities and in the direct vicinity of urban residential areas is justified. A large group of people has a need to visit quiet areas. Creating opportunities to be exposed to quiet in their residential environment will make it easier for people to experience and integrate moments of quiet and tranquillity in their daily lives. The creation of areas and places in towns that address this need requires an interdisciplinary approach, with landscape architects and urban planning experts incorporating acoustic knowledge and criteria into their design and construction plans. Municipalities, provinces and the government will in practice, partly as a result of new European legislation, increasingly have to apply substantiated, uniform and transparent methods to assess noise in quiet areas. The approach proposed here needs to be further developed and already-developed methods need to be applied in practice to test their usefulness. At the same time, policy decisions are called for. What level of disruption or annoyance is acceptable in quiet areas? Does it have to be quiet there every day or every hour, enabling all visitors to enjoy it, or is some degree of variation acceptable, for instance depending on weather conditions? Not only quantitative knowledge is important in this respect. Qualitative knowledge and the experience of people "in the field" can likewise make a major contribution to the debate on the social significance of exposure to and the enjoyment of silence and the importance of quiet areas. Quiet areas outside as well as inside cities require some degree of priority and protection, not only because of their potential health benefits but also because, apart from that aspect, they are of substantial social value. Designating "monuments of silence" can help make the general public aware of the importance of silence.

Authors' methods: Overview

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.gr.nl/pdf.php?ID=1397&p=1

Year Published: 2006

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Netherlands

Organisation Name: Health Council of the Netherlands Gezondheidsraad

Contact Address: Postbus 16052, 2500 BB Den Haag, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 70 340 7520;Fax: +31 70 340 7523

Contact Name: info@gr.nl

Contact Email: info@gr.nl

Copyright: Health Council of the Netherlands Gezondheidsraad (GR)