title: Sound propagation in urban areas: a periodic disposition of buildings.
abstract: A numerical simulation of background noise propagation is performed for a network of hexagonal buildings. The obtained results suggest that the prediction of background noise in urban spaces is possible by means of a modified diffusion equation using two parameters: the diffusion coefficient that expresses the spreading out of noise resulting from diffuse scattering and multiple reflections by buildings, and an attenuation term accounting for the wall absorption, atmospheric attenuation, and absorption by the open top. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient with geometrical shapes and the diffusive nature of the buildings are investigated in the case of a periodic disposition of hexagonal buildings.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, Centre de Nantes, Route de Bouaye, Boîte Postale 4129, 44341 Bouguenais Cedex, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Picaut
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Simon