LIFE+2010 QUADMAP project (QUiet areas definition and management in action plans): The proposed methodology and its application in the pilot cases of Firenze

Current practices about selection, assessment and management of QUAs (Quiet Urban Areas) in EU Countries, though regulated by the EU Directive 49/2002/EC on Environmental Noise (commonly abbreviated END), appear to be extremely fragmented and inhomogeneous. In fact, each country during past years adopted a set of strategies strictly related to their specific contexts. Proposing a solution to overcome the lack of harmonized methodologies for QUAs is the main aim of QUADMAP (QUiet Areas Definition and Management in Action Plans) project. The results of the project will facilitate urban planners to apply standard procedures for identification, delimitation and prioritization of QUAs. The project has a high level of demonstrativeness guaranteed by the fact that the proposed methodology will be tested on a number of case study areas. In particular, it will be tested on a set of pilot cases in Italy, Spain, and The Netherlands. The project started on 2011, September the 1st and lasts three years. At the beginning of 2013 the first version of the harmonized methodology has been defined. The project partners have being testing the procedures making up such a methodology since February 2013 in all pilot cases. The proposed methodology and an overview of the available results in pilot areas selected in the city of Firenze are presented in this paper.