Green Areas in the City as an Element of Noise Protection

Abstract

From the dawn of history, humanity created communication routes in order to move efficiently. Trees were planted along the roads connecting towns and villages so that travellers could rest in their shade. The line of trees also played an informative, strategic and sometimes aesthetic role. Currently, a line of tall vegetation along the street provides shade and relief in cities during hot weather. It is also worth emphasizing that greenery reduces stress factors in large cities. One of the stressors in cities is noise. In an urbanized environment, noise is perceived as unpleasant and bothersome. Appropriate planting of greenery in the city can reduce this phenomenon. The article not only analyses the possibilities of reducing noise through appropriate planting of greenery, but also provides guidelines for the correct design of greenery along streets and at crossroads. It is worth emphasizing here that the correct design of greenery in the vicinity of communication arteries is not only a matter of ethics or landscape legibility, but also a matter of safe use of infrastructure. The article also deals with the issue of legal acts relating to the design of urban greenery. The former and current legal acts contain provisions related to the classification of green areas, their protection and shaping. These regulations apply to various fields (construction, spatial planning, environmental protection) and therefore there are discrepancies in the legal interpretation of this term. All these doubts will be clarified.