The impact of noise on the population of an urban centre in Valencia (Spain)

Acoustic contamination in residential areas is a generalized problem. This paper reports the results of a survey trying to evaluate this contamination in the historical center of Valencia and about its effects upon that district's residents. A total of 700 residents in 11 different neighbourhoods of the city of Valencia were interviewed; at the same time environmental noise was determined at 225 different points within the area of study. In the historical center of Valencia, there exists an important problem of environmental noise and the daily levels clearly exceed the recommended limits.