Noise Pollution Monitoring

     Alicante is a participating city in a joint project together with other European and Latin-American cities whose aim is to improve living conditions with regard to noise pollution. This project falls within the framework of the European URB-AL Project.

     The European URB-AL Project is a horizontal co-operation project aimed at European and Latin-American cities whose aim is to improve their socio-economic and living conditions as well as developing a direct and lasting association of cities.

    The programme is divided into themed networks. Málaga is the co-ordinating city for URB-Al's urban environment network nº 6.

     As a member of the themed Urban Environment network, Alicante is a partner in the project “Improving the Quality of Life in a Quiet City”, which was approved by the European Commission in December 2001. Participating in the project are other cities such as: Granada and Alicante for Spain, Rome and Padua for Italy, Lima and the Cuzco Valley Inter-District Development Committee for Peru and Viña del Mar and Valparaiso for Chile.

     This common project's specific aims are:
  1. To establish an information exchange and mutual help network among the project members with regard to noise management, creating coordination and co-operation methods concerning diagnostic, analysis and recommendation methodology in order to overcome problems between local government and other institutions, organisations and/or businesses in each of the project's participating cities.
  2. To train municipal employees responsible for environmental monitoring concerning noise control.
  3. To perform urban noise diagnosis in each city.
  4. To perform noise control management diagnosis in each city.
  5. To deliver, develop and diffuse planning and management instruments in order to reduce noise in the city.
  6. To encourage cultural change, valuing silence.

As part of the activities undertaken by the project members, Alicante has initiated noise diagnosis in the city by the execution of an Acoustic Study Map of one sector of the city centre, between the streets: Avda. Alfonso X el Sabio, C/ San Fernando, Rambla de Méndez Nuñez and Paseo Gadea and Paseo Federico Soto. This study, taking both daytime and night-time acoustic measurements, will enable us to draw up an acoustic map of the areas as well as contributing to the necessary methodology in order to continue the work, thus providing an acoustic map for the rest of the city.

     Moreover, a training seminar is planned for Municipal staff, Technicians and the Local Police, as well as educational and awareness-raising campaigns dealing with the problem of noise in Alicante.

     The coming into force of the Valencian Regional Government's Acoustic Pollution Law has implied immediate modifications to the Municipal Noise and Vibrations Bylaw. The necessary modifications are now under way and will as a result necessitate the passing of a new Bylaw in line with the new legal situation.

Links of Interest: www.urbalruido.com
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