Sound Pollution and Its Externalities

16 April 2019



Sound Pollution: How Bad Is It? - Thomas Pierson







       We all have dealt with a loud neighbor at least once in our life, this is a form of sound pollution. Whether it be a party that lasted until 3 AM next door, preventing you from sleeping. Or a concert that took place no more than a block away from your house. This is an issue that hits close to home, but how bad CAN it be? Is it just a nuisance? Or is it something bigger that is affecting people's lives in more ways than just annoyance?

     Sound pollution is something that is caused by people, but also loud machines and transportation such as trains. This issue can be related to poverty, as it is a large result of poor urban planning, which is common in low income areas. Also, placing neighborhoods near colleges can be an issue, as college students like having parties and are typically very loud. Sound pollution is really just when there is a lack of silence in an area at any time during the day. This can be very harmful for families that have young children, people that work long hours, and people that have school early the next day. This noise can prevent all of these people from living relaxed lifestyles and being able to fall asleep when they need to. 
    
     An externality of noise pollution is property values. The value of a house will decline if it is in a relatively noise polluted area, such as neighborhoods near an airport. This can be seen in Florida with any houses near the MCO airport. All of the houses in this area are decreased in price, and cheaper than some houses that are further away, even though the further houses are far smaller. This is an issue for everyday people because it makes it more difficult to sell their home, which can be quite annoying.

   This issue of noise pollution can be decreased if there is noise cancelling insulation placed in the residencies of houses near colleges or areas, so they do not hear as much of the exterior noise. Placing laws on whether or not a loud party should be allowed close to grade schools may also help with less, invasive noise.

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