Valuation of Green Walls and Green Roofs as Soundscape Measures: Including Monetised Amenity Values Together with Noise-attenuation Values in a Cost-benefit Analysis of a Green Wall Affecting Courtyards

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Knut Veisten²  Yuliya Smyrnova³  Ronny Kl๫oe²  Maarten Hornikx¹  Marjan Mosslemi² 

[1] Building Physics and Services, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands;Institute of Transport Economics (TOI), Gaustadalleen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway;School of Architecture, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK;

关键词: hedonic pricing;    noise control;    quiet area;    quiet side;    unit pricing;    vertical gardens;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph9113770

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Economic unit values of soundscape/acoustic effects have been based on changes in the number of annoyed persons or on decibel changes. The normal procedure has been the application of these unit values to noise-attenuation measures affecting the noisier façade of a dwelling. Novel modular vegetation-based soundscape measures, so-called green walls, might be relevant for both noisy and quieter areas. Moreover, their benefits will comprise noise attenuation as well as non-acoustic amenity effects. One challenge is to integrate the results of some decades of non-acoustic research on the amenity value of urban greenery into design of the urban sound environment, and incorporate these non-acoustic properties in the overall economic assessment of noise control and overall sound environment improvement measures. Monetised unit values for green walls have been included in two alternative cases, or demonstration projects, of covering the entrances to blocks of flats with a green wall. Since these measures improve the noise environment on the quiet side of the dwellings and courtyards, not the most exposed façade, adjustment factors to the nominal quiet side decibel reductions to arrive at an estimate of the equivalent overall acoustic improvement have been applied. A cost-benefit analysis of the green wall case indicates that this measure is economically promising, when valuing the noise attenuation in the quieter area and adding the amenity/aesthetic value of the green wall.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.