Surveys were taken in two mixed-use neighborhoods: Bllok and Selvia (50 surveys in each), selected due to
their contrasting settings. Bllok is a vibrant city center neighborhood, in which most high-end shopping and
entertainment activities are concentrated, in addition to housing. Most housing in the Bllok is in 10-12 story
condominium buildings which is relatively new. Typically, current residents belong in the upper-income
strata. All surveyed individuals lived in apartments facing both on main streets and back alleys. More than
one third of surveyed households included children under 10), and almost one fourth included seniors (above
70).
The Bllok’s plentiful cafés, restaurants, and music venues, which generate pedestrian and car traffic until late
at night, have been known to present a disturbance for residents. In the fall of 2009, one of the major
newspapers in the country, “Shekulli”, prompted by residents living in the center of Tirana, who were
disturbed by the loud music and car traffic generated by nightclubs, led a campaign against noise pollution in
the capital. This campaign drew the attention of several politicians, foreign environmental organizations, and
the ombudsman. Several residents informed reporters that they were planning to change residence as the
noise levels in the center were unbearable, especially at night. While almost daily press coverage of noise
impact issues and complaints, over several weeks, prompted the City to issue high fines to several bars and
clubs in the area, which played loud music at night, traffic-generated noise pollution was not addressed. In
addition, enforcement was not consistent, and after a brief period of tranquility, club owners ignored the law.
A new Mayor was recently elected in Tirana. One of his first actions after taking office was to enforce
nighttime noise monitoring in the Bllok. For a few months, night clubs were forced to shut down any music
at midnight. Eventually, the rules became relaxed. As of this writing, the press reports that nighttime noise
levels in the Bllok are 80-90 dB, based on monitoring data from the Institute of Public Health (Shekulli, 23
March 2012).
The other area surveyed, Selvia, is an older, mixed use and mixed-income, neighborhood, located at a
distance from the city center. It is flanked by a large open air market. Auto traffic levels are perceived as
high in Selvia as well, due to its narrow and windy traditional road system inherited from earlier eras. One
third of the respondents in Selvia live in single-family homes with gardens while the rest live in (mostly
new) condominium buildings. About 30% of surveyed households included children under 10 and/or seniors
over 70.
In the framework of the project interviews were conducted with nine representatives of public institutions,
which are involved in environmental protection issues, regarding their efforts in noise abatement and
prevention. Interviews were also conducted with (1) a night club employee in the Bllok on club owners’
responses to resident complaints, (2) a real estate agency on the impact of noise on condominium prices, and
(3) a construction firm on the use of noise insulation in new construction.
The interview with a real estate representative indicated that families are moving away from the Bllok. The
area is slowly undergoing a process of transformation into an office and entertainment center. The
percentage of tenants (mostly students and young adults) is increasing relative to homeowners. Selvia on the
other hand is becoming a favorite neighborhood for families.
5 NOISE IMPACTS ON URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
Resident surveys indicated that perceived noise levels are very high in the Bllok (4.2 out of a maximum of
5). Also, residents reported a high level of discomfort from noise (an average of 4.2 out of 5). Almost half of
the respondents reported thinking daily about noise disturbance. In fact, Bllok’s residents were more
preoccupied with noise levels than other major concerns such as air pollution, car traffic, lack of parking
spaces and green areas, illegal construction, and the quality of road infrastructure in their neighborhood.
Most residents said that noise levels have been on the rise in the last 5 to 10 years, a perception confirmed by
public research. They pointed to car traffic as the main source of daytime noise, and the loud music from
bars and night clubs as the main source of nighttime noise. The latter was considered more bothersome by
the majority. Weekend evenings and nights were reported to be the nosiest and most stressful times.
Respondents in households that included young children or older adults were well aware of the detrimental
health impacts of noise. They cited sleep disturbance, irritation, inability to concentrate, high blood pressure,
headaches, hearing problems, and stress as observed effects of noise exposure on children and seniors.