The closing meeting of the "Creation of Noise Reduction Scenarios for Kütahya Province" project, which was initiated with the contract signed between Kütahya Municipality and TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) on March 10, 2021, was held in Kütahya on October 17, 2022.
Opening speeches were delivered by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, Vice President of TÜBİTAK and President of TÜBİTAK MAM, and Prof. Dr. Alim Işık, Mayor of Kütahya.
The meeting started with the opening speech of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, President of TÜBİTAK MAM. In his speech, Yozgatlıgil stated that thanks to the institutional infrastructure and trained project team established within our Center, strategic noise maps of urbanized areas of 59 provinces were prepared for the first time in Turkey within the scope of the projects carried out between 2013-2021 and that an important gap in this field was filled in our country. He also emphasized that as TÜBİTAK MAM, especially within the scope of high-tech products, both technology development and product development studies are carried out.
Within the scope of the opening speeches, Mayor of Kütahya Municipality Prof. Dr. Alim Işık congratulated the employees of both stakeholders and emphasized the importance of the project for Kütahya to be among the top five livable cities in Turkey. In his speech, Işık stated that within the framework of the Noise Action Plan, the works and procedures to reduce the noise from industrial and entertainment facilities, road and railway were determined and that the measures will be put into practice in the future.
Afterwards, information on the project results was shared by Melike Neşe Tezel Oğuz, Second Project Coordinator. It was stated that with the project, "Noise Action Plan of Kütahya Province" was prepared, which includes scenarios for the reduction of noise from road, railway, industry and entertainment facilities in residential areas where strategic noise maps were prepared in Kütahya. The studies completed within the scope of the project were listed as follows:
- In Kütahya, strategic noise maps were prepared in residential areas where the limit values specified in the Regulation on the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise were exceeded and sensitive structures were identified.
- For each source group (road, railroad, industry and entertainment), noise management candidate areas (NMAAs), i.e. sensitive areas, were identified.
- As a result of field visits and coordination meetings, noise management areas (NMAs) were selected by prioritizing the areas with high exposure and dense populations among the identified NMAs.
- Resource-based alternative mitigation scenarios were developed and modeled for the identified GWRs.
- Coordination meetings were organized and the solution alternatives identified in the noise mitigation scenarios were evaluated together with the responsible institutions/organizations.
- Cost analysis was conducted for each proposed mitigation scenario and the total cost was calculated.
- Noise impact assessments that can be taken into account in urban planning were made.
- Noise impact assessment of planned transportation projects was conducted.
- A survey on noise action plans was conducted with the participation of 656 people aged 18 and over. It was found that all of the scenarios considered to be implemented in noise management areas were supported at high rates.
Finally, a "Noise Action Plan for Kütahya Province" was prepared to cover all the work carried out.
