The world around us is getting noisier every day, particularly for those living in cities, and some in the UK are worried that those with the means to desert the cities are doing so. “Sure, there is much of modern life that is hugely invigorating: on a night out in our cosmopolitan, cultural and affluent cities, that great cacophony can seem like a sweet symphony. But an increasing number of our most accomplished citizens are finding it too much, and are opting out – fleeing to the countryside, or even abroad.”