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Health impact assessment of road traffic noise exposure based on different densification scenarios in Malmö, Sweden

Flanagan, Erin LU orcid ; Malmqvist, Ebba LU orcid ; Oudin, Anna LU ; Sunde Persson, Karin ; Alkan Ohlsson, Johanna LU and Mattisson, Kristoffer LU orcid (2023) In Environment International 174.
Abstract

While urbanization provides many opportunities to those arriving in thriving urban areas, a greater number of residents necessitates the expansion of housing and infrastructure. This is often achieved through densification, which can lead to increased noise, particularly through increased road traffic. A key challenge of promoting healthy urban planning is to understand potential health effects, especially on the local level. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to estimate and compare the health impacts of road traffic noise exposure for various urban densification scenarios within a neighborhood (Lorensborg) in Malmö, Sweden. The three scenarios include 1) Present-day, representing the study area as it is presently organized;... (More)

While urbanization provides many opportunities to those arriving in thriving urban areas, a greater number of residents necessitates the expansion of housing and infrastructure. This is often achieved through densification, which can lead to increased noise, particularly through increased road traffic. A key challenge of promoting healthy urban planning is to understand potential health effects, especially on the local level. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to estimate and compare the health impacts of road traffic noise exposure for various urban densification scenarios within a neighborhood (Lorensborg) in Malmö, Sweden. The three scenarios include 1) Present-day, representing the study area as it is presently organized; 2) Planned municipal strategy (the city of Malmö’s own densification plans) and 3) Health-centred, which involves major structural alterations and reflects an effort prioritize a health-centred approach. Noise was modelled using the Nordic prediction method for road traffic. Health outcomes included noise annoyance, adverse sleep disturbance, ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence and mortality. Within all scenarios, a large proportion of the study population was exposed above the WHO's health-based guideline value (Lden 53 dB): >80% for Present-day and Planned municipal strategy scenarios, and almost 50% in the Health-centred scenario. Still, densifying Lorensborg (population ≈9,600) according to the Health-centred scenario could prevent 549 cases of highly annoyed, 193 cases of adverse sleep disturbance, 4.7 new cases of IHD (8.9% of total cases), and 1.5 deaths due to IHD (17.8% of IHD mortality) annually. The results demonstrated that it is possible to considerably lower the health impact with a more health-centred densification strategy. Important co-benefits for public and environmental health include air pollution reduction and green space creation, although their health effects were not quantified in the present study. Urban planning initiatives must be more ambitious in order to create healthy, sustainable cities.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Annoyance, Health impact assessment, Ischemic heart disease, Road traffic noise, Sleep disturbance, Urban planning
in
Environment International
volume
174
article number
107867
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85150843807
  • pmid:36963157
ISSN
0160-4120
DOI
10.1016/j.envint.2023.107867
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
91a55d35-d351-46c6-a2b6-a7503b332a31
date added to LUP
2023-05-22 14:09:19
date last changed
2024-09-21 12:14:38
@article{91a55d35-d351-46c6-a2b6-a7503b332a31,
  abstract     = {{<p>While urbanization provides many opportunities to those arriving in thriving urban areas, a greater number of residents necessitates the expansion of housing and infrastructure. This is often achieved through densification, which can lead to increased noise, particularly through increased road traffic. A key challenge of promoting healthy urban planning is to understand potential health effects, especially on the local level. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to estimate and compare the health impacts of road traffic noise exposure for various urban densification scenarios within a neighborhood (Lorensborg) in Malmö, Sweden. The three scenarios include 1) Present-day, representing the study area as it is presently organized; 2) Planned municipal strategy (the city of Malmö’s own densification plans) and 3) Health-centred, which involves major structural alterations and reflects an effort prioritize a health-centred approach. Noise was modelled using the Nordic prediction method for road traffic. Health outcomes included noise annoyance, adverse sleep disturbance, ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence and mortality. Within all scenarios, a large proportion of the study population was exposed above the WHO's health-based guideline value (L<sub>den</sub> 53 dB): &gt;80% for Present-day and Planned municipal strategy scenarios, and almost 50% in the Health-centred scenario. Still, densifying Lorensborg (population ≈9,600) according to the Health-centred scenario could prevent 549 cases of highly annoyed, 193 cases of adverse sleep disturbance, 4.7 new cases of IHD (8.9% of total cases), and 1.5 deaths due to IHD (17.8% of IHD mortality) annually. The results demonstrated that it is possible to considerably lower the health impact with a more health-centred densification strategy. Important co-benefits for public and environmental health include air pollution reduction and green space creation, although their health effects were not quantified in the present study. Urban planning initiatives must be more ambitious in order to create healthy, sustainable cities.</p>}},
  author       = {{Flanagan, Erin and Malmqvist, Ebba and Oudin, Anna and Sunde Persson, Karin and Alkan Ohlsson, Johanna and Mattisson, Kristoffer}},
  issn         = {{0160-4120}},
  keywords     = {{Annoyance; Health impact assessment; Ischemic heart disease; Road traffic noise; Sleep disturbance; Urban planning}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environment International}},
  title        = {{Health impact assessment of road traffic noise exposure based on different densification scenarios in Malmö, Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107867}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envint.2023.107867}},
  volume       = {{174}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}