Noise Survey in the Community of Valencia (Spain)

Noise level measurements carried out during the last 15-20 years by several authors and institutions have revealed that environmental noise is a significant problem in most cities of Spain. This paper presents the main results obtained in a general study of noise pollution carried out recently in the Community of Valencia. This investigation has covered three different and related aspects of this problem: the measurement of the diurnal noise levels in all the urban areas, the evaluation of the effects of noise on residents and the analysis of the attitudes of local administrations towards this environmental factor.