Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Measures applied in areas with high noise levels have brought down noise levels at night by between 1 and 5 dBA in different neighbourhoods, with an average drop of 3 dBA. The measures entailed a reduction in opening hours for terraces at bars and restaurants, as well as for establishments selling food and drink. Noise is the environmental factor which has the second biggest impact on people’s health, just behind air pollution.

The measures have been applied in the following areas:

• L’Eixample: in C/ Enric Granados there has been a reduction of between 2dBA in the upper section of the street to 5 dBA in the lower section.
• Ciutat Vella: noise is down by more than 2dBA in C/ Joaquim Costa, La Paloma and the surrounding area, and up to 3.5 dBA in Plaça de George Orwell.
• Sants-Montjuïc: in the Jardins de la Mediterrània, noise levels have been cut by more than 5 dBA since the reduction in opening hours for terraces was introduced.
• Gràcia: noise levels around the neighbourhood’s squares have been reduced by between 1 and 2.5 dBA.

Specific plans are currently being developed to reduce noise at night in different areas, such as the so-called triangle lúdic in Sant Martí; C/ Allada- Vermell and Pl. Sant Cugat, in El Born; C/ Miquel Pedrola i Alegre, in Barceloneta, and Pl. Virreina, in Gràcia. An analysis is also being carried out in the streets around C/ Rogent, in El Clot; in C/ Nou de la Rambla, from C/ Blai to C/ Blesa, in Poble-sec, and in C/ Tusset and C/ Aribau, in the district of Sarrià – Sant Gervasi.

In parallel to these measures, work continues on specific plans for the new special noise regime (ZARE) for Passeig del Born and the existing ones in the districts of Gràcia and Ciutat Vella.

Noise is the environmental factor which has the second biggest impact on people’s health, just behind air pollution. Traffic is the main source of noise during the day, while at night it’s traffic and nightlife.