Abstract
The human production of noise has increased dramatically since the industrial revolution, with demonstrated and wide-ranging impacts on environments and human well-being, which are exacerbated in densely populated urban areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in European countries, at least one out of five people are exposed to noise levels which are directly harmful to health, and the social cost of transportation noise alone is 0.2–2 % of the gross domestic product (World Health Organization, 2018). Noise pollution is acknowledged as a major public health issue by international agencies and regulatory bodies, such as the WHO, the United Nations Environment Programme (2022), and the European Environment Agency (2020). This form of environmental pollution is linked to expanded physical and psychological problems for both adults and children, ranging from increased risk of sleep disturbance and cognitive impairment to psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases, and even early death.