Urban planning must address noise pollution to create thriving cities

Architecture has long shaped how cities look, but planners have rarely considered how they sound. Sounds like Copenhagen's bicycle bells or Milan's café conversations can brand a city, but noise pollution—traffic, construction, clattering plates—harms health. A 2025 report found over 20% of Europeans are exposed to transport noise exceeding EU thresholds, causing stress and sleep disturbance. A London Assembly member recently called for action after a clear rise in noise levels on the Underground. Globalization has homogenized urban soundscapes; glass and steel skyscrapers act as acoustic mirrors, reflecting traffic and air-conditioning hum. Though noise pollution is increasing, cities are still designed primarily for the eye. Every new structure, pavement, or mixed-use block adds to a city's sonic symphony. Rather than just reducing unwanted noise, planners should consider what gives a city its identity. Zürich offers an example: it reduced speed limits on roads where traffic roar exceeds specific limits, lowering noise pollution. Its distinctive sonic character results from countless planning decisions that include sound. Arjan Rietveld, a writer and researcher based in Berlin, argues that cities need to sound as good as they look.