Monitoring and reducing noise related to movida real cases and smart solutions

Fimiani F. Luzzi S.

Monitoring And Reducing Noise Related To Movida: Real Cases And Smart Solutions

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest university in the world.

To this day, Bologna is still very much a university town, and the city's population swells from 400,000 to over 500,000 whenever classes are in session.

This community includes a great number of Erasmus, Socrates, and overseas students involved in exchange programs.

The historical center of Bologna is the heart of night life for university students and the major source of noise related to movida. Piazza Verdi, Petroni street, Zamboni street, Irnerio street are some of the streets where people meet at night (dehors problems).

Piazza Verdi

During the last years, different surveys and inspections have been done both from the ARPA (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection in the Emilia-Romagna region) and from a private studies.

First acquisition: set up and results (2010 - ARPA)

Measurement conditions:• inside the receiver’s house • in the dining room • microphone oriented towards Petroni street • 1.5 meters above the floor• At least 1 meter from other surfaces

First acquisition: set up and results (2010 - ARPA)

Hour Type of Measurement Equivalent Level dB(A)

23:12 Environmental noise windows opened

63.6

3:55 Residual Noise windows opened

48

So the differential measured is 15,6 dBA much higher compared to the limit imposed of 3 dBA

Measurement conditions:• inside the receiver’s house • in the dining room • microphone oriented towards Petroni street • 1.5 meters above the floor• At least 1 meter from other surfaces

Measurement conditions:• empty room at the third floor of a building• with the windows opened but with the

shutters quite closed • sound meter 1,75 meters from the floor • at least 1 meter from all the other surfaces.

First acquisition: set up and results (May 2012)

First acquisition: set up and results (May 2012)

Day Time

Day Equivalent Level dB(A)

Absolute limit

Differential in dB(A) over half

an hour Differential limit

17/05/2012environmental noise Thursday

58.1

65 dB(A)

58.1-55.8=2.3

5 dB(A) 18/05/2012 environmental noise Friday

56.8 56.8-55.9=0.9

19/05/2012 environmental noise Saturday

56.7 58.8-53.3=5.5

Night Time

17-18/05/2012 environmental noise Thursday-Friday

60.7

55 dB(A)

66.7-47.3=19.4

3 dB(A)

18-19/05/2012 environmental noise Friday-Saturday

61.465.0-

52.1=12.9

Measurements made by a Private Study: M. Balboni

Solutions: Public Initiatives

“Noise in the city – city into the noise” was an event organized in March which wanted to make the population aware of the problem of noise.

The association “Via Petroni e Dintorni” also sent different letters both to the Major and the University president asking for solutions, and the association also proposed something but the problem remained unsolved.

Conclusion

• the equivalent levels of noise inside the apartments exceed the ones imposed by the regulation during the night time as the pub and bar holders open their businesses and the people begin to occupy the streets.

• A clarification needs to be done, the city of Bologna allowed some bars' holders to create dehors outside their businesses without taking into consideration the problems they'll create to the people who live nearby or above these places

• The only way the local residents found to solve this problem was through a legal path who ended the 10/02/2015 with a sentence, preceded with an administrative Order (10/09/2014), which give the responsibility to the City of Bologna, that was condemned to pay all the expenses and to withdraw the licenses granted to businesses.

A possible solution …

Solutions: a smart control system for city centres

development of a territorial noise system Vie En.Ro.Se. Ingegneria and UNISER, in collaboration with Pistoia

Project based on designing the control system and real time reporting of noise produced by noisy public places located in the city centre, surrounded by residential buildings.

network of low cost sound sensors distributed in the area in both sources and receivers locations:• landscape analysis and evaluation of the sound of the acoustic environment• acoustic modeling to determine the criticalities• catalogue of maximum contributions of acceptable noise emission and noise impact

values.

The system implementation and operation

FIRST PHASE

landscape and soundscapes analysis

SECOND PHASE

• implementation of the system, based on a network of low cost microphones, is defined.

• real time monitoring of noise levels, represented in a dynamic map of the critical areas that is shown in public places on totem displays and available for consultation on smart phones and devices.

SECOND PHASE IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM

National and Regional Legislation, noise maps and plans of the City, technical regulations and standards of the sector as well.

documents and sound measurements already done (city, residents ..)

characterization campaign

Collection of the availability and prerogatives of acceptability of representatives of the managers of premises and made-teeth

critical acoustic modelling

significant points: sources catalogued as “significant” and to the receivers catalogued as “sensitive”

Determination of maximum contributions of noise emission and of noise impact

Plan the operation of the system for real time collection and transmission of data (info displays)

Define methods of controlling and signalling the acoustic state of each critical place

definition of methods of warning and fining for those who exceed the limits previously and jointly set.

Support the Municipality awareness actions addressed to citizens on noise problems and on the warning system.

SECOND PHASE

Connect the presentation of the system and its operation in the activities of

International Noise Awareness

Day.

IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM

National and Regional Legislation, noise maps and plans of the City, technical regulations and standards of the sector as well.

documents and sound measurements already done (city, residents ..)

characterization campaign

Collection of the availability and prerogatives of acceptability of representatives of the managers of premises and made-teeth

critical acoustic modelling

significant points: sources catalogued as “significant” and to the receivers catalogued as “sensitive”

Determination of maximum contributions of noise and of noise impact

Plan the operation of the system for real time collection and transmission of data (info displays)

Define methods of controlling and signalling the acoustic state of each critical place

definition of methods of warning and fining for those who exceed the limits previously and jointly set.

Support the Municipality awareness actions addressed to citizens on noise problems and on the warning system.

1) A new regulation aiming to establish all the necessary connections between the described noise control system and the limits provided by national and local legislation;

2) standard documents of requests for exemption and for the presentation of the other documents can be defined as annexes of the regulation;

3) a temporary or permanent assistance can be provided to the City in the early stages of application of the regulation with measurements and surveys for verification of consistency and fairness in system operation

Conclusion:

Both the cases analysed (Pistoia and Bologna) give evidence to the need of new and more effective methods for noise control of “movida” in the city centres.