Cover your ears: Why are cities so loud?

In this episode, we talk about noise pollution—a much bigger problem than you might realize!

Some of the things we discuss include:

• the most common (and annoying) sources of outdoor noise
• adverse mental, physical, and social health effects from too much noise exposure
• what safe noise levels even are
• ways to reduce noise in cities (hint: it has a lot to do with cars, like basically everything we talk about)
• and a whole lot more

Links:

Want to learn more on this episode’s topic? There has been no shortage of words written on the virus and our cities. Here's just a tiny sample:

• Book: ‘Curbing Traffic’ by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
• Why City Noise Is a Serious Health Hazard
• Environmental Noise Pollution in the United States: Developing an Effective Public Health Response
• How Animals Perceive the World
• The sounds of our lives suck! How to make cities better by ending the blight of noise
• Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud (Video)
• Why sounds and smells are as vital to cities as the sights
• Paris caps speed limit to 30km/h in further boost to 'soft' transport
• The Sensory Assault of 18th Century Cities
• Road Traffic Noise Pollution Is Linked With a Heightened Risk of Central Obesity
• The Science of Quieter Cities
• Traffic Noise Might GiveYou a Heart Attack
• The Science of Quieter Cities
• How Silence Became the Ultimate Luxury Good
• The (Basically) Complete Health Case for Urban Parks, Trees, and Nature
• NOISY CITIES (interactive map)
• National Transportation Noise Map (US DOT)

---

Check us out on Twitter and Instagram @webuiltitpod.

Hosted by AJ Fawver and Jordan Clark. Edited by Jordan Clark.

Music in this episode includes: Sounds of the Supermarket, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats ("Rocket 88"), Scott Joplin ("Pineapple Rag"), Bob Dylan ("Piano Mood").