Supporting healthier urban environments with a sound and noise curriculum for students

ABSTRACT

While urban environments do indeed have sounds that are exhilarating and exciting, people also comment that these environments are too often loud and uncomfortable. New York City excites people with the sounds accompanying the Macy’s Day parade and the celebration at Times Square on New Year’s Eve but its subway din, traffic roars, and sirens garner many complaints. With noise impacts increasingly being recognized as harmful to mental and physical health, urban centers have introduced measures to lessen the din of their cities. As an educator, I long recognized that one should enlist young people in our efforts to lower the decibel level. Thus, I was delighted to work with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s education arm on their curricula for school children, from the low grades through high school, that would teach them about the beauty of the good sounds and the dangers of loud sounds and noise. This article introduces readers to the Sound and Noise Module which can be accessed at the New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection site. The lesson plans on the Sound and Noise Module are a worthwhile read for all people interested in working towards a quieter and healthier society.

KEYWORDS:

• Noise
• education
• health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Arline L. Bronzaft

Dr. Arline L. Bronzaft is a Professor Emerita of the City University of New York, a consultant on noise impacts, and is Mayoral appointee to the Board of GrowNYC, overseeing its noise activites. Dr. Bronzaft has conducted landmark research on impacts of transit noise on classroom learning and carried out research on airport-related noise on health of nearby residents, is one of five co-authors of “Why Noise Matters” (Earthscan 2011), and has contributed writings on noise in books, scientific journals and popular press. Assisted in the 2007 revision of New York City's noise code.