ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: December 21, 1995
File #: CC95
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Environmental Health
SUBJECT: Urban Soundscape Task Force
RECOMMENDATIONS:
A. THAT Council approve the terms of reference and program
outlined in this report for the Urban Soundscape Task Force.
B. THAT Council approve expenditures of up to $30,000 to cover
the costs of the program in advance of the 1996 Budget.
C. THAT the Mayor appoint two councillors to the Task Force.
D THAT the Assistant City Manager be appointed staff's liaison
to the Task Force and that appropriate City staff be
authorized to provide reasonable assistance to the Task Force.
MANAGER'S COMMENTS
One potential outcome of the proposed Urban Soundscape Task Force
is more regulation and an increased staff workload. Council may
wish to communicate to the Task Force its desire to pursue
solutions that tend to avoid increasing regulatory workloads.
Having noted these concerns, the General Manager of Community
Services RECOMMENDS approval of A, B, C and D.
COUNCIL POLICY
Noise is regulated within the City by Noise By-laws, as amended from
time to time.
Council has directed that increases in levels of service, affecting the
operating budgets, have identified offsets.
PURPOSE
This report is written to propose terms of reference and funding for an
Urban Soundscape Task Force.
BACKGROUND
The issue of noise and noise by-law enforcement has been a recurring
theme at Council over the past 10 years. The Noise By-law, which has
its roots in a 1972 GVRD Community Noise Study and Draft Noise By-law,
has been amended from time to time to address inadequacies as well as
"new" noises and the realities of noise effects in an urban environment.
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Many of these changes have been reactive and have not been based on a
strategic, long term vision to address noise issues. Furthermore, the
Noise By-law is not always the best public policy instrument to deal
with issues often interrelated with land use and economic vitality. We
have not had the opportunity to step back and ask some key questions
about the current noise environment (soundscape) or the effectiveness of
the regulatory measures currently in place.
Council recently requested the City Manager to bring forward draft terms
of reference for an Urban Soundscape Task Force to carry out the tasks
identified in the previous paragraph. Staff have drawn on the
experiences of the Urban Landscape Task Force and the Task Force on
Atmospheric Change in drafting the Terms of Reference proposed in this
report.
DISCUSSION
The following Terms of Reference for the Urban Soundscape Task Force are
proposed:
DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE - URBAN SOUNDSCAPE TASK FORCE
The Urban Soundscape Task Force will explore the nature and extent of
impacts on the urban soundscape, including impacts from motor vehicle
sources, with a view to recommending a package of tools and initiatives
which can be implemented to reduce these impacts, especially in the
downtown area. Through research, review of other jurisdictions'
programs (e.g West Vancouver), consultation with City staff and citizen
involvement, the Task Force will:
1. Identify the current status of the urban soundscape as compared
with the early 1970s, when the last Community Noise Survey was
completed for the GVRD and identify some significant sources of
noise and noise complaints.
2. Identify public expectations about the noise environment,
especially in the downtown core, through social surveys. These
surveys will also measure the community's reaction to noise, the
level of annoyance in the community and community awareness of and
satisfaction with current regulations and their enforcement.
3. Inventory the issues and impacts of noise on the environment, on
public health and on the enjoyment of peace, quiet and rest in the
City.
4. Inventory and evaluate the instruments currently in use to control
and minimize these impacts on the natural environment and humans.
These may include regulations, educational approaches, citizen
action, land-use policy and advocacy on the part of the City.
5. Seek advice from City staff, professionals in the noise field,
academics, and others on solutions to the identified soundscape
issues.
6. Involve the public in the preparation of its report. This
involvement will, at a minimum, include requests for written
submissions, focus group discussions, and a symposium at which the
public will share information and be asked for further input.
7. Prepare a final report which will summarize the key issues and
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proposed strategies. The report will contain a series of
recommendations, with timelines and priorities, for Council's
consideration. The report will be widely distributed for both
staff and public consideration prior to its final consideration by
Council.
The Timetable:
The Task Force will be established as early as possible in 1996 and
will carry out the majority of its work in the spring of 1996.
An Interim report to Council will be submitted for approval by May
1996, with distribution to interested citizens and groups with an
invitation for written responses.
An Urban Soundscape Symposium will be held in mid-June to share
information and receive further input.
The final Task Force Report for Council consideration will be su
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Membership:
The Task Force should be comprised of up to twelve members,
including a chairperson, with liaison members from Council (2), and
the City Manager's Office.
Expressions of interest for membership should be solicited from the
following:
- Right To Quiet Society
- S.P.E.C.
- Academics from S.F.U. or U.B.C. familiar with the
science of sound.
- West Coast Environmental Law Association
- A professional acoustical consultant
- Construction industry representation
- Cabaret Owners' Association
- Resident's Associations (False Creek, Downtown South,
other areas)
- Downtown Vancouver Association
Budget:
A modest budget is suggested to assist the Task Force in fulfilling
its role. Given the elements in common with the Urban Landscape
Task Force, a budget of $30,000 is recommended.
Research and survey costs $ 12,500
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Symposium Costs $ 7,500
Printing costs $ 5,000
Public communication/promotion $ 5,000
Staff have recently received a proposal from U.B.C. to conduct a noise
social survey which contains many of the elements that would be of
assistance to the Task Force in its deliberations. Costs for this
social survey might be shared among other municipalities in the Lower
Mainland. A nominal sum of $10,000 has been included in the proposed
budget to cover part of the cost of such a survey.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The work of the Task Force should result in longer term solutions to the
soundscape problems.
SOCIAL IMPACTS/IMPACTS ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Successful solutions to urban noise problems should result in a more
livable urban environment and reduced auditory and health impacts on our
youth.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
A modest budget of $30,000 has been proposed to carry out the work of
the Task Force. Approval for this budget should be granted in advance
of adoption of the 1996 budget.
Staff costs have not been budgeted as they will occur as opportunity
costs to other City programs and priorities. These costs could be
considerable, particularly with the implementation of Task Force
recommendations.
CONCLUSION
The time has come to carry out an in-depth review of the current state
of our urban soundscape. A strategic vision for dealing with the
deterioration of our soundscape is required. An Urban soundscape Task
Force established under the Terms of Reference proposed in this report
is an appropriate vehicle for establishing this vision. The
recommendations contained in this report should be supported.
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