Urban Traffic Noise Mapping Using Building Simplification in the Panyu District of Guangzhou City, China

This study constructed an urban traffic noise map (including road and railway traffic noises) of the Panyu District in Guangzhou City by combining field measurement and numerical modeling methods. This noise map was then used to identify the area covered by different noise quality levels and the compliance rate of traffic noise in various acoustic environment functional areas throughout the day, night and day–night. The results showed that traffic noise pollution along the traffic arteries was severe. The area with heavy noise pollution was as large as 157.5 km2 (29.72%) and 146.2 km2 (27.59%) in the day and night, respectively. The total area of the Panyu District that complied with the noise limit in the day and night was 326.5 km2 (61.62%) and 87.2 km2 (16.46%), respectively. The outcomes of the current efforts can provide new technical guidelines for novel construction and analysis methods for large scale urban traffic noise mapping.