> After being in isolation, the noise in the outside world seemed louder. Noise will be huge after lockdown. I think about how New York City is a cacophony of s

> After being in isolation, the noise in the outside world seemed louder. Noise will be huge after lockdown. I think about how New York City is a cacophony of sounds and now the streets are empty. Gosh, it took me about six months to get used to how noisy life is. Noise pollution is a huge, mostly overlooked problem in urbanized areas and is often thought to exceed the recommendations for residential areas with little room for easy remediation or enforcement. Many of us remember the days before leaf blowers took over and flooded the natural morning landscape with 100 dB in all directions, in areas that are still limited to 50-60 dB. The impact on human and non-human health is well known.