Noise in Cities

But there's quite a lot going on that these maps don't show because they can't capture the complex way that sound varies overtime . So they ignore important issues such as the noise someone might hear from the open windows or gardens of their neighbours,- and this sort of noise can be quite significant in summer. We don't have any databases on this sort of information. As well as that, these records of sound levels take no account of the fact that people vary in their perceptions of noise - so someone like me with years of working in acoustics might be very different from you in that regard.But anyway. even though these noise maps are fairly crude, they've been useful in providing information and raising awareness that noise matters, we need to deal with it and so it's a political matter. And that's important - we need rules and regulations because noise can cause all sorts of problems. Those of you who are city-dwellers know that things go on 24 hours a day, so city-dwellers often suffer from interrupted sleep. It's also known that noise can lead to a rise in levels of stress, due to physical changes in the body affecting the composition of the blood.