Evaluation of extreme traffic noise as hazardous living environment factor in Saint Petersburg

Abstract

This paper studies noise pollution in the urban living environment, using Moskovsky District in Saint Petersburg as an example. We identify the hazards caused by noise pollution and conduct a comparative analysis of apartment market value, depending on the distance from motorways. We find that people living in houses along Vitebsky Prospekt and Kubinskaya Street are subjected to extreme levels of traffic noise; those living in houses along Moskovsky Prospekt and Leninsky Prospekt are subjected to high levels of traffic noise; and those living in houses along Blagodatnaya Street, Novoizmaylovsky Prospekt, Varshavskaya Street, Basseynaya Street, and Kostyushko Street are subjected to increased levels of traffic noise. Our health hazard assessment reveals that traffic noise creates an extreme risk of cardiovascular disease among senior citizens (aged over 65) that live in apartments with windows facing Vitebsky Prospekt and Kubinskaya Street. Besides, the evaluation of the real estate market made up by apartments in the standard “khrushchyovka” buildings of Moskovsky District points to the public becoming more demanding towards the living environment quality: the price for apartments located along noisy highways is approximately 10% lower than the price for apartments in quieter neighborhoods.