A new base of wind turbine noise measurement data and its application for a systematic validation of sound propagation models

Extensive measurements in the area of wind turbines were performed in order to validate a sound propagation model which is based on the Crank–Nicolson parabolic equation method. The measurements were carried out over a flat grass-covered landscape and under various environmental conditions. During the measurements, meteorological and wind turbine performance data were acquired and acoustical data sets were recorded at distances of 178, 535 and 845 m from the wind turbine. By processing and analysing the measurement data, validation cases and input parameters for the sound propagation model were derived. The validation includes five groups that are characterised by different sound propagation directions, i.e. downwind, crosswind and upwind conditions in varying strength. In strong upwind situations, the sound pressure levels at larger distances are overestimated because turbulence is not considered in the modelling. In the other directions, the model reproduces the measured sound propagation losses well in the overall sound pressure level and in the third octave band spectra. As in the recorded measurements, frequency-dependent maxima and minima are identified, and losses generally increase with increasing distance and frequency. The agreement between measured and modelled sound propagation losses decreases with distance. The data sets used in the validation are freely accessible for further research

Space-time design of the public city

Time has become an increasingly important topic in urban studies and urban planning. The spatial-temporal interplay is not only of relevance for the theory of urban development and urban politics, but also for urban planning and governance. The space-time approach focuses on the human being with its various habits and routines in the city. Understanding and taking those habits into account in urban planning and public policies offers a new way to improve the quality of life in our cities. Adapting the supply and accessibility of public spaces and services to the inhabitants’ space-time needs calls for an integrated approach to the physical design of urban space and to the organization of cities. In the last two decades the body of practical and theoretical work on urban space-time topics has grown substantially. The book offers a state of the art overview of the theoretical reasoning, the development of new analytical tools, and practical experience of the space-time design of public cities in major European countries. The contributions were written by academics and practitioners from various fields exploring space-time research and planning