image: Field setup in an urban forest in Zurich, Switzerland, where participants completed assessments before and after the walk.
Credit: Image credit: Julia Schaupp / WSL, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Road traffic noise is annoying during walks in both urban forests and built urban environments and is a ‘significant health-related stressor,’ according to a randomized controlled trial in Zurich, Switzerland
Article URL: https://plos.io/3MQf0lI
Article title: Road traffic noise affects annoyance during urban built and forest walks, but not repetitive negative thinking or connectedness with non-human nature: A randomized controlled trial
Author countries: Switzerland, The Netherlands
Funding: JS was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF Research Grant Number CRSII5_193847, https://www.snf.ch/en). KH was funded through an Eccellenza grant (PCEFP1_194591) from the Swiss National Science Foundation (https://www.snf.ch/en). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Journal
PLOS One
Article Title
Road traffic noise affects annoyance during urban built and forest walks, but not repetitive negative thinking or connectedness with non-human nature: A randomized controlled trial
Article Publication Date
18-Mar-2026
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.