The relationship between urban road-traffic noise and urban environmental components

The spatial pattern of environmental noise and its acoustical characteristics are increasingly important factors to consider in establishing policies for urban planning and design in modern cities. It is essential for policy makers in this field to understand the relationship between the noise level and urban components such as population, land-use, roads, and urban density. To figure out this relationship, we look at the case of Cheongju, a Korean city that has a very high level of annual average noise. The road-traffic noise of the city is mapped in terms of grid and façade noise levels for each building. The whole area of the city is divided into square cells of a uniform size and for each cell, total population, population exposed to high noise levels, traffic volumes of distinct vehicle types, and FSI (floor space index) are estimated. A representative noise level for each cell is determined by averaging out the maximum façade noise levels for all the buildings within the cell at nighttime. The relationship between the representative noise level and the urban components is statistically modeled at the cell level. Based on the results, same policy measures are suggested to reduce the noise exposure in the city, including controls of traffic flow, proper mixes of land-use, and adjustment of building densities.