Environmental noise inequity in the city of Barcelona

Environmental noise is a growing concern for urban planners and public health experts. Continuous noise exposure has implications for people’s physical and mental health. Urban planning strategies are also involved in the need for regular noise assessments within urban areas. The objective of this study is to evaluate the exposure to noise of vulnerable population groups in the city of Barcelona, and to determine whether they are affected by an environmental inequity regarding this nuisance. Assessment of noise levels was performed by two methods of analysis—real measures and simulation—in order to build the noise database at block level for the 10 districts of the city. The results obtained by various statistical tests and spatial regression analysis show that children and low-income individuals are not affected by environmental inequity. On the other hand, we found a positive relationship between noise levels and the other groups considered: namely, the unemployed and people over age 65.