Evaluación de los niveles de presión sonora en la zona céntrica del cantón Loja

Abstract

Abstract: In this research, the objective was to evaluate sound pressure levels in the downtown area of the city of Loja in order to determine the degree of compliance with the current environmental regulations. To do this, monitoring was first carried out at ten strategic points following the guidelines of ISO 1996-2. The results showed a critical situation of acoustic saturation, since at all the evaluated points the maximum permitted limit of 60 dBA established in the TULSMA was exceeded, resulting in an overall average level of 69.2 dBA. On the other hand, the statistical analysis made it possible to identify that the city s form has a more significant influence on noise propagation than vehicular flow (p = 0.013). Consequently, this confirms the presence of the Canyon Effect on narrow streets, where urban geometry makes it difficult for sound to disperse and causes noise to persist and intensify. Finally, through spatial modeling based on IDW interpolation, a management and mitigation plan was proposed, focused on engineering measures and traffic control, aimed at reducing the population s exposure to high levels of environmental noise.