Mitigation of environmental noise in urban streets through lightweight transparent screens

Noise pollution is one of the main environmental stressors in urban areas. In particular, strong noise pollution can be experienced at nighttime in downtown areas with intense anthropic activities: here, dwellers may suffer from disturbance to their rest, which induces stress and – in turn – adverse effects on health. Usually, local authorities implement actions to tackle noise pollution, e.g. limiting the time allowed for outdoor events. However, these measures are often inadequate because the noise annoyance comes directly by the shouting of people spending time outdoors till late night. In this framework, this study proposes a procedure to optimize the shape of customized lightweight transparent noise screens that can be applied to facades in order to reduce noise disturbance in urban canyons. The case study of the “movida” area in the downtown of Marina di Ragusa (Southern Italy) is discussed to test the applicability of the proposed procedure. The results of this analysis allow defining the shape and the size of the noise screens that minimize the noise annoyance perceived by residents. The proposed mitigation approach can be applied in cities affected by significant noise pollution.