Acoustic Engineer Fixes NYC Subway, Parks and Buildings to Limit Noise | WSJ Pro Perfected

[@wsj]

It has never been more expensive to visit New York City: on.wsj.com/3ZxCxtV

[@AlexPriceMusician]

There should be some noise standard applied to vehicles too. When I worked in Paris last year it was amazing how peaceful the streets were.

[@ethancohen4337]

This is because they actually have a proper metro system. Unlike in America where public transit is an afterthought. Paris metro trains carry 100s of people per train. Think about that same number of people in cars. That’s why American cities are loud and European cities tend to be a lot quieter.

[@LIRRFAN426]

@@ethancohen4337New York has world class transit, it would actually be one of the if not the best city in North America to implement this.

[@ethancohen4337]

@@LIRRFAN426 totally agree. It’s large and dense enough to support it.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

@@ethancohen4337 yes, the metro system was awesome, but so is New York’s. You’re right though, we just don’t have an adequate public transit in pretty much all of our cities. The main offenders are usually the needlessly noisy box trucks and privately owned gas-to-noise converters that a certain population likes

[@DavidRGD]

@@LIRRFAN426 even if they have long delays and the infrastructure quality is degrading, i still find it to be the best, just that there's more to be done to realize its once formerly full potential.

[@yuriydee]

From an engineering perspective, that was pretty interesting, especially how changing grade can reduce noise the most. That said, Ive sat in a park around 23rd st, and noticed that its only the cars that are very loud. Otherwise when all the lights are red, its not THAT loud.

[@kaiwenhe5518]

Flood？

[@rexyoda]

I like how most of the issues about cities are related to cars

[@dgmojojojo]

Thank God electric vehicles is much much quieter than the old petrol vehicles.

[@littlegamer00]

@@dgmojojojo I heard somewhere that when traveling above 50? MPH they are just as loud.

[@zagreus5773]

@@littlegamer00 Above 50 kph the noise of the wheels becomes louder than the noise of the motor. That means to reduce noise pollution of cars just going electric is not enough, you also need to reduce speed to 30 kph for example. That would make cities actually quieter. Reducing car density would of course also help, by improving public transport.

[@francesco5254]

I love how the comment section is full of people that are aware of the car issue. Come on folks we can change this 💪🏻💪🏻

[@TaylorQuade]

in the first minute of this video they say the actual solution, then dismiss it: traffic noise, aka cars

[@TaylorQuade]

Cities aren't loud, cars are loud.

[@hardtailhardtrails]

The lengths that they have to go through to reduce the harms of having cars in cities

[@badbad-cat]

Yes 💯 I believe EVs and overhead metro rails are the *perfect solution* for noise and air pollution, not building trenches 😹

[@SomeKidFromBritain]

And light rail too.....

[@evongunnar]

@@badbad-cat have you never been underneath an elevated subway?

[@MOTU320]

Cities are not noisy. Transportation vehicles, mainly cars are.

[@MiCnWww]

Yes it's the tire noise so both ice and ev are noisy

[@Secretlyanothername]

Yes, and EVs will help. They're not magic, but if you've ever stood next to a ICE bus and then an EV bus you know that the second one is massively quieter

[@mamotalemankoe3775]

​@@SecretlyanothernameTrue, but heavy EVs like Teslas and Ford Lightnings still make a shocking amount of tire noise due to their immense weight from their huge batteries.

[@kubotite9168]

@@mamotalemankoe3775 I would suggest you visit Beijing..just hear how quiet those EV cars are..

[@DavidRGD]

Literally this plus everything else this video mentioned all contribute to noise pollution.

[@mikeh2520]

I've always loved the scene in a Woody Allen movie where the character's childhood home was right next to a roller coaster ride at an amusement park and the whole dining table shook every time the roller coaster passed.

[@Anthony-nu5oc]

If your neighborhood has cars honking and Mustangs revving their engines at 2am, it really doesn’t matter how quiet you make the trains.

[@sylvester4207]

Bro thank you for saying that. Finally some common sense in you KZbin comment section

[@Anthony-nu5oc]

@@sylvester4207 it’s all love bro 🫂

[@shanemooon]

now do this but for literally every restaurant and coffee shop. the lack of soft surfaces for sound absorption at these places kills me inside.

[@TimBryan]

“Cleanability” is a must for high traffic areas, it’s something I’ve noticed that acoustic-absorptive materials are also hard to clean.

[@matheusp572]

Safe thing for gyms, some are just awful when full.

[@jordanmiller42]

@@TimBryan I knew there was a reason my redesign of my local metro station with wall-to-wall carpet was rejected...

[@techcafe0]

incessant noise pollution has a seriously deleterious impact on our mental & physical wellbeing

[@mathbathh]

Bro crazy idea what if we restricted cars in city centres and provided better transit instead🤯🤯🤯

[@Leonardo-or1ll]

Not like there’s a huge segment of the population that constantly vandalizes the public transportation, harasses commuters, and free rides the system 🤐

[@madhavyu]

I am thinking outside the box here but what if we made it walkable everywhere so you could do all your daily tasks by walking.

[@TedWillingham]

Cities aren't loud. Cars are loud.

[@zaghir8351]

@@madhavyuwhat do you mean by walkable?

[@vercingetorix5708]

@@TedWillinghamever lived next to a construction site?

[@gabrielgrossman7800]

Cities aren’t loud, cars are

[@jagolago-bob]

Americans are.😀

[@david91lvb]

Hello Not Just Bikes

[@badbad-cat]

EVs and overhead metro rails are the *perfect solution* for noise and air pollution

[@elylioney6390]

What a great use of tracing paper and projecter sheets

[@tooflesstesla]

I haven't seen the use of tracing paper in decades! Would be better to use glass or clear film (such as with his "intelligibility" example) with non-permanent markers to save on filling endless trash cans. Great content and explanations. 😊

[@DinoRowan]

Right! Beautiful and easy to understand visuals, I loved it.

[@arkhamskida]

Life without so many friggin' loud cars and such ⚡️✨

[@santiago_n3651]

Cities aren't loud, cars are. Carcentric city design bankrupts cities and kills habitability.

[@SomeKidFromBritain]

The sound of the new york subway is deafening so I guess its more than just cars

[@garrettk7166]

Fans and heating/cooling systems contribute significantly to the overall noise levels.

[@thePavuk]

City trains, trams, busses... are much much louder then cars. Except you live in city where drivers use horns more then gas pedal.

[@Zajum11]

@thePavuk Yes, a single bus is louder than a single car. But if you compare the noise of the bus to the noise all the people in the bus would have made if they drove cars, the bus wins by A LOT. So, saying that busses, trams etc. are louder is somewhat dishonest

[@thenia8472]

CITIES. ARENT. LOUD. CARS ARE! I love how more and more comment sections on city related videos are beginning to realise that cars a big major problem in all things related to city designs lol

[@SS-wi4tm]

Living the NYC nightmare- had a car alarm go off all night from 4am onward. Those things should be illegal.

[@martin.jmorgan]

Cars. It's cars.

[@carlospcpro]

Car motors and tires are.

[@ErdTirdMans]

We Americans will do anything to avoid solving the problems of cars

[@drJoep043]

cities are not noisy, motorised vehicles are.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

So my neighbours are motorised vehicles are they?

[@drJoep043]

@@TheRadioAteMyTV cyborg neighbours XD

[@Sjalabais]

Love how this is presented as a scientific exercise with real world examples, without the usual "but...costs" disclaimer. I wonder about the "squishy material" train track dampers, though. How long will they retain their squish without breaking?

[@EPMTUNES]

Exactly. Is it cheaper to cover the city in sound dampening foam that’ll last weeks or just stop it at the source.

[@10kanutt]

They'll last quite a while. Each individual dampener is not holding all that much weight, because the load of the train is spread out over so many of them. And the material is quite resilient. I know it's not a 1 to 1 example, but Japan and California have built many high-rise buildings with types of rubber at their base (look up viscoelastic material if you want to learn more), and buildings made with it in the 1980s are still standing strong and weathering earthquakes... which when you think about it, are just really loud sounds that turn the Earth's crust into a speaker diaphragm. xD

[@ZacDonald]

Isolating train tracks isn't anything new, Japan does it for different reasons (earthquakes) but it does also isolate sound as well and can last.

[@dogwalk3]

in the U.S., we can afford to cut our military budget** wayyy back to do something like this. our taxes would actually go to something that benefits the people. ** [w/r/t to *amount* we spend on the former, not its existence in the first place]

[@ryanc4955]

CARS are loud. They are detrimental in so many ways. Go walk on your nearest American suburb road vs a neighborhood without anyone driving and hear the difference! Cars are the worst

[@thePavuk]

My street is designed like 1:56, except... opposite. Building down, cars up, and no trees. and street is closer to the slope. It works like amplifier.

[@marcusmors8485]

This was really interesting. I enjoyed the video

[@poljoprivreda1970]

Finally we start to talk about worst pollution ever.

[@dyu8184]

Been to their sound lab, it's kinda wild how different the air pressure is in there especially spending an hour inside.

[@gregoryalocke]

I'm fascinated by the aerial footage around 1:43. I live in that general area but have never seen the park in that general arrangement. Looks like I have the rest of my evening planned out 😔

[@microberry1211]

All of the comments talking about EVs solving the issue of cars being loud - above a speed around 50km/h or 30mph, it's noise from the tires and wind that dominates over engine noise, so EVs will make just as much noise as petrol and diesel vehicles. Good land use planning and proper implementation of noise mitigation measures like low-noise road surfaces and noise barriers will help reduce traffic noise in cities more generally, but this isn't always practical in already built-up areas (good for new areas though). I'm sure Raj would love if we could take all the roads and push them somewhere else, but that just isn't possible. Best to do as much as is practical.

[@maksimfedoryak]

That's why there should be 30 km/h speed limit in cities

[@Matojeje]

These are some nice ideas for how to show sound related things with clear visuals :3

[@joost3732]

Sacrificing street life for dealing with traffic noise. No thank you, redesign the cars instead of the streets.

[@nathanfarber583]

Or just limit the number of cars in cities?

[@jobw]

70 dBA is much too loud. WHO guidance is 53 at day and 45 at night now.

[@K05602]

4:48 This is a perfect way to explain the auditory processing issue I have. My hearing is great, but my ability to filter out background sounds isn't so great.

[@tylerb6522]

Cars make the noise (and polution, and waste materials and space). How about we not redesign cities around cars instead and use transit and active modes of transportation.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

The biggest issue with urban noise is cars and car horns. Cars produce lots of broadband noise, and car horns are both tonal and impulsive. If we forced motorists out of NYC permanently, it would be a better place to live. You’ll get an idea of the benefits in a couple weeks when congestion pricing comes into effect.

[@isabellagigek]

That was really interesting to learn about!

[@chanman5600]

This has been my jobs for almost 30 years.

[@JoeMakes]

And Helmholtz Resonators! 🤩

[@fleshreap]

Super interesting video.

[@erikvinnes]

I think cars are a big problem. And their use in cities should be regulated.

[@HoneyMaharshi]

It's just simply a problem of Reverberation of Sounds...

[@minimalistic_banhaus]

Cars are the problem.

[@Harry_Bl44346]

Great explaination

[@ebrothen]

I live a few miles from an airport, and when the wind blows a certain direction, the drone of the airplanes on the ground waiting to take off is extremely loud. Because there are always multiple aircraft waiting in line, the sound is a constant rumble.

[@BarryWaterlow]

Fascinating.

[@ShawnLH88]

I wanna see how quiet it is at the top floor penthouse of the luxury condo towers in nyc. Especially when there's cloud cover or snow beneath the building heights

[@jayski9410]

I've noticed subways don't screech as much as they used to. But for me the real noise makers were the elevated rails. It was as if all the steel columns and beams that support them were designed to amplify sound.

[@marcbuisson2463]

Fun fact, but modern or even decent elevated rails don't make that much, or even don't make noise at all. It's just the US living with bad and unmaintained transit.

[@DavidRGD]

these elevated sections of NYC subway were probably built around a century or more, that concept about noise pollution/dampening didn't seem to be widely known (or if it was, then they are widely ignored), and construction design is centered around materials like steel or iron (but not concrete)... Materials that could easily conduct electricity... and vibration and noise as well...

[@CandyHam]

ok who splurged on the Bruel & Kjaer meter? 🎤what a flex

[@soundslight7754]

Great introduction to this topic 👍

[@CUBETechie]

Is there a way to also reduce the heating Island?

[@dubreil07]

Why doesn’t the nyc subway use rubber wheels like Europe. Also is there a way to transform the elevated lines into concrete structures like the Van Wyck air train. You almost never hear the air train zooming by

[@18meter]

the main point of steel wheels and steel rails is the low friction between them, it massively boosts the energy efficiency, rubber pretty much negates that. It do have a specific niche it can be used with, but the trade off is just too big to implement across the network, even in Europe.

[@tungru1]

University of Notre Dame mentioned 🍀

[@janetwalker2]

This engineer may have idea to help with pool acoustics. So many swim meets where we struggle to hear/understand what is being announced!

[@tooflesstesla]

I haven't seen the use of tracing paper in decades! Would be better to use glass or clear film (such as with his "intelligibility" example) with non-permanent markers to save on filling endless trash cans. Great content and explanations. 😊

[@LordCybz0]

Just get rid of the cars bro

[@DavidRGD]

they could simply redirect them. u know actually getting rid of them is much easier said than done (but they are trying, with the upcoming congestion pricing scheme; was once on hold due to huge opposition (June-November 2024), it'll be slated to be put in effect in about a month or so).

[@olivertenney1844]

I had no idea they made phase array speakers!

[@sannefridolin]

I wonder if there is a way to make the beeping of cars that back up not travel 3 blocks but stop in the immediate vicinity where it is needed

[@ethancohen4337]

Big oil is deep in this man’s pockets. Cities aren’t loud. CARS ARE LOUD.

[@fujin09]

i get your point but he clearly also mentions construction sites, 4 lane highways, etc. He could have mentioned motorized vehicles do contribute more than necessary, as a matter of fact.

[@skyworm8006]

@@fujin09 Crowds of people are also loud as is. What's with the hysterical comments? He never says cars aren't loud, but they aren't the only issue, and removing them won't fix poor design and lack of dampening for other sources. Also, the loudest vehicles are not passenger vehicles, and they can't really be removed if you want the trendy cafe you visit to have anything to sell you or if you want your city to have any substantial economy that isn't just pushing numbers around till someone figures out you're not doing anything. And idk about your experience but buses are VERY loud too. Much louder than 10 passenger vehicles at the same speed. Rail is an easy fix to dampen. Light rail is ideal and my country has lots in cities.

[@avibortnick]

I can assure you, he is not.

[@mariopasta]

Here to say that the solution in the diagram on the video cover prioritizes flooding of houses rather than roads /parks

[@stormveil]

I should mention just like those train tracks are cushioned from the ground, buildings can be isolated from the ground too so sound doesnt transfer into them. But there's too much to cover in just 8 mins.

[@orlandoedelriocantillo9404]

I want SILENCE !!! Sometimes I can't hear my own thoughts while walking down the street.❤☺️

[@jake13122]

Still need to figure out how to block out footsteps from upstairs apartment.

[@mistercohaagen]

Right, but then how is everybody supposed to be on the cusp of a violent meltdown when they're getting ready for their morning commute then?

[@nayayelin-nk4hc]

Hope to see another video on light pollution.

[@haphuongnguyen9140]

Being on tiktok too much made me thought the title means that he were an autistic engineer😭😭😭

[@josephhissem2219]

Interesting, but why wasn't the idea of reducing cars mentioned in the video to reduce noise pollution in cities? WSJ is car-brained AF

[@letsgoOs1002]

Good thing central park banned cars! Definitely has something to do with the quiet.

[@mammothemil]

Breaking News: It's the cars.

[@bensonboys6609]

I was hoping for some more in depth acoustic analysis, like how the sound would diffract over embankments and walls and actual engineering solutions to help prevent that. It would be nice if it were a little bit more scientific and nuanced than the two dimensional“Green nature: good. Large corporations: bad.”

[@screaminjackson1216]

Yeah.. masking is great! You’re simply replacing one type of noise with another (usually spiking it a little bit during the process) 😂

[@auro1986]

how? by directing sound at one point instead of letting it spread

[@Deraek]

The most effective way to design a city up for noise is to make it walkable and bikeable lol, not remove people from the roads, WJS See Cities Aren't Loud, Cars Are by NotJustBikes

[@TheCinderDude]

The squealing of the subway at union square and most of the A division tunnels in general is criminal. I noticed grease that was there to try to improve this (maybe?) but it doesn't do nearly enough. It feels like nails on a chalkboard amplified through concert speakers right in front of your head

[@enchantedbananas]

cities aren't loud, cars are loud.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Virtually none of these ideas are actually practical or have anywhere near the impact compared to their cost. Keep working on it though, it's a good goal to hear nature again.

[@Kelfuma]

That’s pretty cool! Do you enjoy living in NYC?

[@dubreil07]

Yes. I live in Brooklyn

[@frankreinmiller848]

What are sound absorbing materials?

[@HughGiblin]

Mass loaded vinyl is a common material used to dampen sound. Depending on your use case, MLV might be a good solution for you.

[@paulmea3166]

Rock Wool is pretty good. MLV is good but expensive. I'd stay away from compressed acoustic fiber glass as it's absorption frequency range is not flat. Really depends on your application.

[@bearliongaming2464]

Absolutely love that he explains his thoughts with simple diagrams that we can all understand

[@minhq1980]

I‘m not so sure about stricter noise protection standards. This would make building housing and new infrastructure more complicated, buerocratic and expensive

[@tigerstallion]

the suggested model is undesirable because flat grades create puddles and floods. need grades that shed runoff, especially storm water. too often designs are flat and square probably because its convention, paper is 2D & square, materials are rectangular, etc. its often better performance to build with arcs and angles (Earth is multidimensional, windy, wet, wiggly)

[@DingusSquatfordJr.]

And the idiots in Philadelphia flying around with their old WWII propeller aircraft 24/7 Regulations are not being enforced

[@Ningen-on2xt]

i like how they mention brooklyn steel but the sound barriers don't work as well as they think, it is just lucky that the spot across is a nycha and what can poor people do abt that? nothing lol. I've been around there so many times and noise leaks out just as bad

[@zaghir8351]

Idk man but a quiet NYC just wouldn’t feel like home. Sometimes when I’m out of town I play NYC street noises on KZbin to help me sleep lol

[@MorseAttack]

not once were CAR HORNS mentionned. Here I was thinking this was gonna be about NY....

[@Smart-Infrastructure]

Great article, WSJ! Cheers! Acoustics and their applications are fascinating. I love the focus on design of cities to significantly eliminate unwanted noise. Infrastructure noise can also be leveraged within cities to increase situational awareness and protect assets through innovative new optical technologies. Both are required to enable both smart and quieter cities.

[@ssmmmss888]

misread the title :)

[@RickWeberEcon]

I live in the suburbs. Even if I go outside at 3am, I can always hear noise from the freeway half a mile away. Please send help!

[@marcbuisson2463]

Don't live in the suburbs next to a highway XD. A residential neighborhood in a city will be calm af, especially if there are limitations on car movement.

[@maksimfedoryak]

Sounds of freedom 🦅🦅🦅🌭🌭🌭🎆🎆🎆

[@Davmm96]

green roofs are awsome. Insulating and reduce the heat island effect. Con: the higher cost to support dirt+water+plants.

[@JRT-qj4xw]

The 'advanced' design puts the building main floors about 15 feet below general surface grade. This might be great for acoustics, but it's a nightmare for water flow, flood control and emergency evacuation. i.e. there are trade-offs.

[@maksimfedoryak]

That's why urban planning includes drainage, lanes for emergency services and policy of reducing car dependency

[@JRT-qj4xw]

@maksimfedoryak yes, exactly. And because they design for drainage and flood control, main floors are not 15 feet below grade.

[@72APTU72E]

Very interesting vid, refreshing breath of fresh air the lack of political charged content, more like this please.

[@zinyang8213]

no mention of leaf blowers :/

[@bobbbobb4663]

Now do the same test with the SPL meter set to Leq (C weighted) not LAeq given that a significant amount of low frequency energy exists in the city.

[@GM-jf4jm]

Aí chove e alaga o prédio dentro da vala....

[@lberhold]

It's all a neat idea, the easiest solution is to move out of NYC and other big cities into suburbia. Take it to the next level and move to a mountainous region with these different levels of terrain already naturally implemented.

[@lightningwingdragon]

If this is about NYC, why are they driving on the wrong side of the road, and why is there a British Routemaster?

[@BPEKSupraInteractive]

"Cities are not loud. Cars are loud" NotJustBikes