A lot of the gain can be achieved for 1% - 2% increase, if designed and engineered in from the start -- is my admittedly second-hand understanding from people w

A lot of the gain can be achieved for 1% - 2% increase, if designed and engineered in from the start -- is my admittedly second-hand understanding from people who know. Personally, I've been careful when searching for places, and I've still ended up screwed. Noise is one of the biggest complaints I've heard over the years from friends and colleagues. People worry over "sprawl" in this country incessantly. Yet one of the simplest solutions is to make shared living spaces (apartments, condos) more comfortable. Stress greatly, negatively impacts productivity. And unwelcome, persistent noise is one of the greatest sources in day-to-day life. So, engineer it out. People who don't mind noise can live in the crackerbox housing stock that became more prevalent post World War II, that still persists. Noise is finally being designated the pollutant that it is. Building codes can and should address this, especially when remediation is available and -- my understanding -- not that expensive. Require it, and economies of scale will bring the cost down further. In the U.S., individuals such as myself, plenty productive but requiring a quiet environment, are left to suss out individual circumstances. I've had enough, and I want to make life easier for the next person like me. So, I will continue to advocate for noise ordinances (that actually get enforced), improved building codes, and the like. All the noisy people who want to live on the cheap while making my life miserable? Well, after 5 decades of persistently trying to be the nice guy and politely gain their cooperation: Screw them. They can pay the cost to physically limit their noise, given that they are unwilling to cooperate in terms of polite behavior.