The closing meeting of the project "Making Noise Reduction Scenarios for Kütahya Province", which was initiated with a contract signed on March 10, 2021, between Kütahya Municipality and TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM), was held in Kütahya on October 17, 2022.
The meeting started with the opening remarks of TÜBİTAK Vice President and TÜBİTAK MAM President Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil and Kütahya Mayor Prof. Dr. Alim Işık.
In his speech, TÜBİTAK MAM President Prof. Dr. Ahmet YOZGATLIGİL stated that thanks to the institutional infrastructure created at Marmara Research Center and the trained project team, strategic noise maps of urbanized areas of 59 provinces were made for the first time in Türkiye within the scope of the projects carried out between 2013-2021 and a significant gap in this area has been filled in Türkiye. He also emphasized that TÜBİTAK MAM conducts studies for both technology development and product development, especially for high-tech products.
In his opening remarks, Kütahya Mayor Prof. Dr. Alim Işık congratulated the employees of the both stakeholders and drew attention to the importance of the project so as to make Kütahya take place among the top five livable cities in Türkiye. Mayor Işık stated that within the framework of the Noise Action Plan, works and procedures that will reduce noise originating from industrial and entertainment facilities, road and railroad have been determined, and that measures will be implemented in the future.
Then, Project Second Coordinator Melike Neşe Tezel Oğuz gave information about the results of the project. It was stated that, with the project, the “Noise Action Plan for Kütahya Province” was made to materialize scenarios for reducing noise originating from highways, railways, industrial and entertainment facilities in settlement areas where strategic noise maps were made in the province of Kütahya. The works completed within the scope of the project were listed as follows:
- In the settlement areas where strategic noise maps were made in Kütahya, the places where the limit values specified in the "Regulation on the Evaluation and Management of Environmental Noise" were exceeded and where sensitive structures were located were determined.
- For each source group (road, railway, industry and entertainment), candidate areas for noise management (GYAA), in other words sensitive areas, were identified with limit exceedances.
- As a result of site visits and coordination meetings, noise management areas (GYAs) were selected by prioritizing the areas with high exposure and dense population among the determined GYAAs.
- Resource-based alternative reduction scenarios were developed for the identified GYAs and models were made.
- Coordination meetings were held and the solution alternatives determined in the noise reduction scenarios were evaluated together with the responsible institutions/organizations.
- A cost analysis was made for each proposed reduction scenario and the total cost was calculated.
- Noise impact assessments were made, which can be taken into account in city planning.
- Noise impact assessment of planned transportation projects was carried out.
- A survey was conducted with the participation of 656 people aged 18 years and older regarding noise action plans. It was found that all of the scenarios intended to be applied in noise management areas were supported at high rates.
Finally, the “Noise Action Plan for Kütahya Province” was prepared to cover all the studies carried out.
