The children exposed to the transit noise were nearly a year behind in reading by the sixth grade. The teacher had difficulty teaching, he says. Branzaft: Sound is a physical phenomenon; Noise is a psychological one. But noise lets you know whether that sound is disturbing, is bothersome, is hurting you.
The pandemic provided city dwellers with a break from the din of the modern world. Now the noise is coming back. What does that mean for our productivity, health, and basic sanity?