Relation between Observed and Perceived Traffic Noise and Socio-Economic Status in Urban Blocks of Different Characteristics
28 Feb 2018-Vol. 2, Iss: 1, pp 20
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated environmental justice empirically, focusing on the distribution of road traffic noise and its perception in Hamburg, Germany and found that the current legal noise limits applicable to residential planning processes in German cities are not sufficient to prevent substantial annoyance effects in residential populations.
Abstract: Living in cities offers many benefits and thus more and more people are living in urban areas. However, the concentration of human activities also creates environmental stressors with severe influence on people’s health and well-being. Noise is an environmental stressor with known health impact. Despite this, studies investigating small-scale difference in noise exposure and annoyance are lacking. Against this background, this case study investigates environmental justice empirically, focusing on the distribution of road traffic noise and its perception in Hamburg, Germany. The study outlines a methodological approach that takes into account subjective and objective measures of exposure in small-scale residential blocks. The results show that annoyance by noise is clearly related to noise emission. Moreover, different groups are affected by noise pollution in our study area unequally. In particular, younger people and people with lower socio-economic status have higher probabilities to be affected by noise. Additionally, it emerged that participants reporting higher levels of annoyance from noise are on average younger than those feeling less annoyed. Overall, these results show that the current legal noise limits applicable to residential planning processes in German cities are not sufficient to prevent substantial annoyance effects in residential populations.
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398 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a very valuable study of human injustices and inequalities in relation to environmental challenges rather than being about the concept, espoused by those of the deep ecology persuasion, of justice for the environment.
Abstract: I should start by making it clear that this work of scholarship is a very valuable study of human injustices and inequalities in relation to environmental challenges rather than being about the concept, espoused by those of the deep ecology persuasion, of justice for the environment. In this very serious context it is worth reminding ourselves that farmers not only work hard on our behalf but also, whether it be the water deficit of prolonged and grinding drought, inundation and water-logging of the land, or the pressures of illconsidered environmental policy, are always the front line of exposure to environmental risk. So, I read this new work with a keen eye to its significance for an understanding of the natural and social origins of disparities manifest across the spectrum of those involved in food production and those who live close to the categories of risks which challenge food security. To be fair though, it was not Walker’s objective systematically to engage this sector of the unlevel playing field. Perhaps then I should not be disappointed for instance that there is no chapter dealing expressly with human disparities in relation to secure access to ecosystem resources or infrastructures relevant to agricultural sustainability eg land tenure, water distribution. Nevertheless, in presenting a thoughtful and extensive analysis of the diverse ways in which disparities arise and in which the voices of the disadvantaged and powerless come to be and continue to go unheard, he provides us with a valuable platform. From this we can extend our thinking from his case studies into the specific areas which concern us when thinking about the food chain and tenuous rural livelihoods. In this regard he is successful in portraying environmental justice as an aspiration as well as a set of actions on behalf of the disadvantaged. His setting is a negotiability space in which a plurality of actors, from activists to commercial agents to institutional bureaucrats, articulate the various buttons and levers of concepts, actualities and political expediency, and he rightly warns us against the temptation to resort to the over-simplifications of easily constructed causalities and villains within the complexity of this scenario. Beyond this his treatment of the issues surrounding climate (change), flood vulnerability and access to urban green-space is of direct relevance or at least of crossinformative value to those of us prepared to entertain the idea that justice, empowerment and cautious redress are essential co-requisites of global food security. The introductory chapters of the work are devoted to the development of the author’s general approach to disaggregating the natures and origins of the injustices and the disparities of exposure to risk or access to resources. In doing so he moves environmental issues from their origins in the early notions of environmentalism and distributive justice in the USA into the broader contemporary global frame of politics, activist networks and participative justice. As James Boyle pointed out in his critical review of a previous treatment of the subject (Mcnaughten and Urry, Contested Natures ) the environmentalist genre in which justice and disparity are converged can be prone to an encounter with the naturalistic fallacy. That is, a flirtation with the dangers of conflating the values or “oughts” of concepts of justice with the “is” of the facts of disparity, which, for the eighteenth century philosopher David Hume, reaches its most extreme form in attempts to derive a value from a fact or an “ought” from an “is”, or to derive a moral
277 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that modern earth observation data can represent an important data source for research on environmental justice and health due to their high level of spatial detail and the provided large-area coverage, they allow for spatially continuous description of environmental characteristics.
Abstract: Human health is known to be affected by the physical environment. Various environmental influences have been identified to benefit or challenge people’s physical condition. Their heterogeneous distribution in space results in unequal burdens depending on the place of living. In addition, since societal groups tend to also show patterns of segregation, this leads to unequal exposures depending on social status. In this context, environmental justice research examines how certain social groups are more affected by such exposures. Yet, analyses of this per se spatial phenomenon are oftentimes criticized for using “essentially aspatial” data or methods which neglect local spatial patterns by aggregating environmental conditions over large areas. Recent technological and methodological developments in satellite remote sensing have proven to provide highly detailed information on environmental conditions. This narrative review therefore discusses known influences of the urban environment on human health and presents spatial data and applications for analyzing these influences. Furthermore, it is discussed how geographic data are used in general and in the interdisciplinary research field of environmental justice in particular. These considerations include the modifiable areal unit problem and ecological fallacy. In this review we argue that modern earth observation data can represent an important data source for research on environmental justice and health. Especially due to their high level of spatial detail and the provided large-area coverage, they allow for spatially continuous description of environmental characteristics. As a future perspective, ongoing earth observation missions, as well as processing architectures, ensure data availability and applicability of ’big earth data’ for future environmental justice analyses.
36 citations
Cites background from "Relation between Observed and Perce..."
...Accordingly, the same shortcomings of spatially discrete data points with no area-covering information thus having local limitations occur [117]....
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...[28] x x local + [18] x x x x x city ++ [76] x x x x city ++ [72] x x x city + [69] x x x city ++ [70] x x x city ++ [149] x x x x city ++ [141] x x x x city ++ [31] x x x city ++ [79] x x x city ++ [38] x x x city ++ [81] x x x city + [30] x x x city [91] x x x city [115] x x x city [20] x x x city [215] x x x city [117] x x x city [119] x x x city [25] x x x city [122] x x x city [143] x x x city ++ [138] x x x city [137] x x x x 4 cities ++ [87] x x x 6 cities [64] x x x x 10 cities ++ [71] x x x 77 cities + [89] x x x metrop....
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TL;DR: This study shows that several person-related factors impact the assessment of the sound environment in green areas, and shows that people highly sensitive to noise and more sceptical towards greenery’s potential as an environmental moderator reported worse soundscape quality, while visually attentive people reported better quality.
Abstract: In contemporary urban design, green public areas play a vital role. They have great societal value, but if exposed to undue environmental noise their restorative potential might be compromised. On the other hand, research has shown that the presence of greenery can moderate noise annoyance in areas with high sound levels, while personal factors are expected to play an important role too. A cycling path bordered by vegetation, but highly exposed to road traffic noise, was here considered as a case study. A sound perception survey was submitted to participants on site and they were subsequently sorted into groups according to their noise sensitivity, visual attention and attitude towards greenery. The aim of this study was testing whether these three personal factors could affect their noise perception and overall experience of the place. Results showed that people highly sensitive to noise and more sceptical towards greenery's potential as an environmental moderator reported worse soundscape quality, while visually attentive people reported better quality. These three personal factors were found to be statistically independent. This study shows that several person-related factors impact the assessment of the sound environment in green areas. Although the majority of the respondents benefit from the presence of visual green, policy-makers and planners should be aware that for a significant subset of the population, it should be accompanied by a tranquil soundscape to be fully appreciated.
30 citations
Cites background from "Relation between Observed and Perce..."
...) where the urban green is located [45]....
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TL;DR: It is argued that knowledge about health impacts and route characteristics plays a crucial role in decision-making about route choices and suggestions to harness smart sensing for exposure mitigation and research in health geography are presented.
Abstract: Citizens in urban areas are exposed to multiple environmental stressors like noise, heat, and air pollution, with impact on human health. There is a great deal of evidence that connects human health, objective environmental exposure, and place of residence. However, little is known about subjective and objective multiple personal exposures while being mobile. To address this research gap, this paper presents results from a mixed-methods exploratory study with cyclists in the City of Leipzig, Germany. In the summer of 2017, cyclists (n = 66) wore a unique combination of sensors that measured particle number counts (PNC), noise, humidity, temperature, geolocation, and the subjective perception of each exposure on everyday routes for one week (n = 730). A smartphone application was developed to question participants about their perception of subjective exposure. The data were analyzed with three aims: (i) to compare the multiple exposure profiles of the cyclists, (ii) to contrast the objective data and subjective individual perception, and (iii) to examine the role of route decision-making and awareness of health impacts for healthier route choices. The results indicate distinct differences between the exposure profiles of cyclists. Over 80% of the cyclists underestimated their exposure to noise and air pollution. Except for heat, no significant associations between the objective and subjective data were found. This reveals an exposure awareness gap that needs to be considered in urban health planning and risk communication. It is argued that knowledge about health impacts and route characteristics plays a crucial role in decision-making about route choices. The paper concludes with suggestions to harness smart sensing for exposure mitigation and research in health geography.
25 citations
References
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TL;DR: A Computer Movie Simulating Urban Growth in the Detroit Region as discussed by the authors was made to simulate urban growth in the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, 1970, 1970.
Abstract: (1970). A Computer Movie Simulating Urban Growth in the Detroit Region. Economic Geography: Vol. 46, PROCEEDINGS International Geographical Union Commission on Quantitative Methods, pp. 234-240.
7,533 citations
"Relation between Observed and Perce..." refers background in this paper
...) everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things” [52], such correlations can be expected in EJ analyses, which are based on the assumption that neither environmental burdens nor the population are randomly or evenly distributed in space....
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TL;DR: The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification system as discussed by the authors was developed to address the inadequacies of urban-rural description, and consists of 17 zone types at the local scale (102 to 104 m).
Abstract: The effect of urban development on local thermal climate is widely documented in scientific literature. Observations of urban–rural air temperature differences—or urban heat islands (UHIs)—have been reported for cities and regions worldwide, often with local field sites that are extremely diverse in their physical and climatological characteristics. These sites are usually described only as “urban” or “rural,” leaving much uncertainty about the actual exposure and land cover of the sites. To address the inadequacies of urban–rural description, the “local climate zone” (LCZ) classification system has been developed. The LCZ system comprises 17 zone types at the local scale (102 to 104 m). Each type is unique in its combination of surface structure, cover, and human activity. Classification of sites into appropriate LCZs requires basic metadata and surface characterization. The zone definitions provide a standard framework for reporting and comparing field sites and their temperature observations. The LCZ s...
2,340 citations
"Relation between Observed and Perce..." refers background or methods in this paper
...istribution of survey areas over Hamburg (selection based on data of Steward n Oke [71], Kaveckis [72], Bechtel and Schmidt [69], Boettcher et al....
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...(2) District types derived from urban morphology (based on Steward and Oke [71] and Kaveckis [72])...
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...Urban Sci. 2018, 2, 20 7 of 25 Urban Sci. 2018, 2, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 25 1. istribution of survey areas over Hamburg (selection based on data of Steward n Oke [71], Kaveckis [72], Bechtel and Schmidt [69], Boettcher et al. [70], city of Hamburg [73]). rban Sci. 2018, 2, x F PEE E IE 7 of 25 Fig re . i t i ti of s rvey areas over a b rg (selection base on ata of Ste ar an ke [71], aveckis [72], echtel an Sch i t [69], o ttcher et al. [70], city of a b rg [73])....
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...Distribution of survey areas over Hamburg (selection based on data of Steward and Oke [71], Kaveckis [72], Bechtel and Schmidt [69], Boettcher et al....
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...i t i ti of s rvey areas over a b rg (selection base on ata of Ste ar an ke [71], aveckis [72], echtel an Sch i t [69], o ttcher et al....
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TL;DR: The built environment has direct and indirect effects on mental health, and personal control, socially supportive relationships, and restoration from stress and fatigue are all affected by properties of the built environment.
Abstract: The built environment has direct and indirect effects on mental health. High-rise housing is inimical to the psychological well-being of women with young children. Poor-quality housing appears to increase psychological distress, but methodological issues make it difficult to draw clear conclusions. Mental health of psychiatric patients has been linked to design elements that affect their ability to regulate social interaction (e.g., furniture configuration, privacy). Alzheimer's patients adjust better to small-scale, homier facilities that also have lower levels of stimulation. They are also better adjusted in buildings that accommodate physical wandering. Residential crowding (number of people per room) and loud exterior noise sources (e.g., airports) elevate psychological distress but do not produce serious mental illness. Malodorous air pollutants heighten negative affect, and some toxins (e.g., lead, solvents) cause behavioral disturbances (e.g., self-regulatory ability, aggression). Insufficient daylight is reliably associated with increased depressive symptoms. Indirectly, the physical environment may influence mental health by altering psychosocial processes with known mental health sequelae. Personal control, socially supportive relationships, and restoration from stress and fatigue are all affected by properties of the built environment. More prospective, longitudinal studies and, where feasible, randomized experiments are needed to examine the potential role of the physical environment in mental health. Even more challenging is the task of developing underlying models of how the built environment can affect mental health. It is also likely that some individuals may be more vulnerable to mental health impacts of the built environment. Because exposure to poor environmental conditions is not randomly distributed and tends to concentrate among the poor and ethnic minorities, we also need to focus more attention on the health implications of multiple environmental risk exposure.
1,021 citations
TL;DR: This review provides an overview of the dimensions of unequal exposures to environmental pollution (environmental inequality), followed by a discussion of the theoretical literature that seeks to explain the origins of this phenomenon.
Abstract: In this review, we provide an introduction to the topics of environmental justice and environmental inequality. We provide an overview of the dimensions of unequal exposures to environmental pollution (environmental inequality), followed by a discussion of the theoretical literature that seeks to explain the origins of this phenomenon. We also consider the impact of the environmental justice movement in the United States and the role that federal and state governments have developed to address environmental inequalities. We conclude that more research is needed that links environmental inequalities with public health outcomes.
864 citations
TL;DR: The findings reveal that solid waste sites were not randomly scattered over the Houston landscape but were likely to be found in predominantly black neighborhoods and near black schools.
Abstract: This paper presents data on the siting of solid waste facilities in one of the nation's fastest growing cities, Houston, Texas. The findings reveal that solid waste sites were not randomly scattered over the Houston landscape but were likely to be found in predominantly black neighborhoods and near black schools. Institutionalized discrimination in the housing market, lack of zoning, and decisions by public officials over the past fifty years are major factors that have contributed to Houston's black neighborhoods becoming the “dumping ground” for the area's solid waste.
440 citations
"Relation between Observed and Perce..." refers background in this paper
...Early prominent EJ studies on Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ [4,5] or landfills in Texas [6], for example, found that petrochemical industries and landfills are regularly located close to Black neighborhoods and economically poor communities, causing severe health issues....
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