THE EFFECT OF DESIGN OF AN URBAN PARK ON TRAFFIC NOISE ABATEMENT

One of the major environmental problems of the big cities nowadays is the traffic noise. This study was aiming to evaluate the effect of vegetation and design of an urban park (Pedion Areos) in the centre of Athens on the traffic noise attenuation inside the park, and to propose solutions for extra noise reduction in it. The noise (dBA L₁₀ and L₉₀) was measured on the whole area of the park and on the streets at the boarders of the park. Major differences (5-10 dBA) in traffic noise reduction were found at the first 60 m of the park perimeter depending on the vegetation, altitude and design of the park. Dense vegetation of shrubs and trees in the periphery of the park, compared to areas where the vegetation consisted of trees only, resulted in extra noise reduction. Differences of the altitude also affected noise reduction. The wide lanes of hard surface (mainly asphalt) that are crossing the park, and the big squares of hard surface, too, did not allow big noise reduction in the central area of the park. Proposals for planting are made in order to minimize the noise level inside the park.