The constant rumble of traffic and people brings cities to life. But is it also making us sick? The ill-effects of noise pollution are now well documented, with cities declaring open war on the not-so-silent killer. The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.
Clément Dargent lives in one of Paris's liveliest and trendiest neighbourhoods, the 10th arrondissement. Moving into a centrally located apartment seemed like a perfectly sensible idea, he recalls. Dargent and his young family had recently moved back to France from New York City and were excited to rekindle with the French capital. But life quickly became unbearable. The constant noise turned into an obsession, a form of "aggression", in Dargent's words.
