Do you feel stressed by everyday noise but get told you're 'overthinking it'? The noise problem is not about individual sensitivity — it's an issue of urban design and institutional frameworks. Using Bunkyo Ward as our field site, we aim to create livable sound environments for everyone through noise data visualization and structural analysis of regulations.
Research Artifacts Progress map of frameworks and deliverables for each phase. Click a slot to expand related notes.
Hypothesis 4/6 complete
Stakeholder Map In Progress Literature Review Completed WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region(external site, opens in a new tab) Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health (Basner et al., 2014, The Lancet)(external site, opens in a new tab) ASPECTSS Design Index — 7 Principles for Autism-Friendly Architecture (Mostafa, 2014)(external site, opens in a new tab) KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certification Program(external site, opens in a new tab) Philadelphia Sensory Inclusive City Certification (2023, KultureCity Partnership)(external site, opens in a new tab) Sakuma T. (2021) Hyperacusis and Everyday Sound Environment(external site, opens in a new tab) Matsui A., Sakuma T. (2020) Survey on Hyperacusis and Sound Environment in Developmental Disabilities(external site, opens in a new tab) Prevalence of Hyperacusis in University Students (Japanese Journal of Psychology, 2025)(external site, opens in a new tab) Geographic Ecological Momentary Assessment (GEMA) of environmental noise annoyance (Guangzhou, 2020)(external site, opens in a new tab) Intelligent Classification of Urban Noise Sources Using TinyML (Sensors, 2025)(external site, opens in a new tab) NYC DEP Noise Camera Enforcement Program (Local Law 7 of 2024)(external site, opens in a new tab) Bruitparif Hydre Sonic Radar (France)(external site, opens in a new tab) Oxford Low Traffic Neighbourhood noise sensor study (Transportation Research Part D, 2024)(external site, opens in a new tab) NYC Noise Code (Local Law 113 of 2005)(external site, opens in a new tab) Research Questions Completed Logic Model Completed Hypothesis Notes Completed
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Research methodology and approaches adopted in this lab.
Fieldwork (Noise Measurement + Subjective Evaluation) Measuring noise levels on residential streets, in parks, and in residential neighborhoods within Bunkyo Ward (文京区), while simultaneously collecting residents' subjective stress evaluations. The goal is to visualize the divergence between decibel values and sensory stress.
Tools & Methods: Sound level meter (Class 2) / GIS / GEMA
Institutional Analysis Analyzing the structure of the Noise Regulation Law (騒音規制法), the Basic Environment Law (環境基本法), and municipal ordinances to categorize structural regulatory gaps — sound sources excluded from regulation, such as everyday residential noise and low-frequency sound.
Tools & Methods: Legal database / e-Gov / Comparative municipal ordinance analysis
Data Visualization and GIS Mapping Overlaying the geographic distribution of noise measurement data and complaint counts to analyze the geographic concentration of noise harm and its correlation with socioeconomic factors.
Tools & Methods: QGIS / D3.js / e-Stat API
International Comparative Institutional Analysis (NYC / France / London) Comparing the institutional design, operational track record, and outcome data of NYC SoundVue / Local Law 7 of 2024, the Bruitparif Hydre sonic radar, and London's Low Traffic Neighbourhood programme, to establish a reference base for automated acoustic monitoring, spatial intervention, and ordinance design in the Japanese context. The analysis critically examines implementation gaps in each case — including NYC, where appropriations were not secured and deployment remained at nine cameras as of 2026, and Hydre, where progress on the spring 2025 verbalization phase requires ongoing monitoring.
Tools & Methods: NYC DEP annual reports / Bruitparif public documentation / Oxford LTN study (Transportation Research Part D, 2024)
Search 18 / 18
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01 Japan Cut the Default Speed Limit on Residential Roads to 30 km/h — a Nationwide Noise Measure Enacted Without Noise as an Objective 2026-09-03
→ 02 Quantitative Comparison of Noise Ordinances Across Tokyo's 23 Special Wards — Implementation Divergences in Penalties, Time Restrictions, Source Categories, and Resident Petition Protocols 2026-07-12
→ 03 A Proposed Industry Responsibility Clause for the Municipal Soundscape Ordinance Model 2026-07-04
→ 04 WHO 2018 Environmental Noise Guidelines vs. Japan's Standards — What a Gap of Up to 25 dB Actually Means 2026-07-03
→ 05 Soundproofing Subsidies Choose Their Roads — The Disparity Structure of the Roadside Housing Soundproofing Program 2026-07-02
→ 06 Why Victims Stay Silent — The Social Psychology Behind the Failure of Collective Noise Complaints 2026-07-02
→ 07 Assessment Never Reaches the Field — Why Environmental Impact Assessment Fails to Control Road Noise 2026-07-02
→ 08 EVs Are Too Quiet — The Paradox of Mandatory Acceleration Sound and Type Certification 2026-07-02
→ 09 Inside the Perpetrator Group — Why Self-Regulation Fails in the Noise Industry 2026-07-02
→ 10 The Learning Curve of Nine Noise Lawsuits — From the Tolerable Limit Doctrine to a ¥5.9 Billion Verdict 2026-07-02
→ 11 Who to Change What For — Three-Layer Target Audience Design 2026-03-01
→ 12 What dB Cannot Measure — The Concept of Context-Dependent Stress 2026-03-01
→ 13 The Complaint Gap Phenomenon — Why 'Reporting Won't Change Anything' Is Rational 2026-03-01
→ 14 Theory of Change — From Personal Pain to Transforming Urban Design 2026-03-01
→ 15 Those Living Along Arterial Roads Bear the Greatest Noise Burden — An Environmental Justice Hypothesis for Japan 2026-03-01
→ 16 Why Loud Motorcycles and Modified Cars Aren't Caught — Structural Analysis of Noise Regulations 2026-03-01
→ 17 How Much Do People with Sensory Hypersensitivity Suffer Outdoors — A Gap Not Found in Prior Research 2026-03-01
→ 18 Four Research Hypotheses and Verification Plan 2026-02-28
→ Key terms and definitions used in this research.
Sensory Stress Index A composite index of sound environment stress based on individual sensory characteristics that cannot be captured by decibel values alone. Currently under development by this lab.Related terms: Misophonia / Hyperacusis
Misophonia A neurological condition in which specific sounds (e.g., chewing, keyboard typing) trigger intense aversion, anger, or anxiety. Named in 2001 by Jastreboff and Jastreboff.Related terms: Hyperacusis / Sensory Hypersensitivity
Source↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Hyperacusis A condition in which sounds of ordinary volume are perceived as unbearably loud. Frequently associated with sensorineural hearing loss and autism spectrum disorder.Related terms: Misophonia / Sensory Hypersensitivity
Environmental Justice A principle and movement that seeks to correct structural imbalances in which environmental burdens are disproportionately borne by socially marginalized groups. The geographic concentration of noise harm is also a matter of environmental justice.Related terms: Epistemic Injustice
Soundscape A concept proposed by R. M. Schafer in 1977. A framework that treats the acoustic environment not as a physical quantity but as perceived and interpreted through the listener's subjectivity and cultural context.Related terms: Sensory Stress Index
Source↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
GEMA (Geographic EMA) Geographic Ecological Momentary Assessment. A research method that records real-time subjective experiences in conjunction with GPS location data. Particularly effective for field surveys of noise stress.Related terms: Sensory Stress Index
Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) A street engineering technique originating in London that physically excludes through-traffic using modal filters such as bollards, creating residential zones accessible only to residents and emergency vehicles. A 2024 Oxford University study found traffic within LTNs decreased by up to 51%, with corresponding reductions in noise levels.Related terms: Modal Filter / Sensory Refuge Zone
Source↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Modal Filter A street infrastructure element — such as bollards, raised surfaces, or plantings — that physically excludes through-traffic while permitting access for residents and emergency vehicles. The core component of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).Related terms: Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN)
Sensory Refuge Zone A residential zone that protects the acoustic environment for all residents, including those with sensory hypersensitivity, through a combination of modal filters, sound-absorbing pavement, and natural acoustic barriers. A concept under development by this lab, positioned as an evolution of the LTN model. (Research stage.)Related terms: Modal Filter / Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN)
Méduse / Hydre (Acoustic Sensor / Sonic Radar) Automated acoustic measurement technologies developed by Bruitparif (France). Méduse is a four-microphone directional sound source detection sensor (winner of the 2019 Golden Decibels Award). Hydre is an acoustic radar that evolved the Méduse technology for enforcement purposes, combining Méduse sensors with license plate recognition cameras to automatically detect noise violations from moving vehicles. The verbalization (penalty) phase was scheduled to begin in spring 2025. Contrast Index (CI) An event-based index at the conceptual design stage that describes noise stress as a multiplicative composite of contrast with background noise, repetition frequency, time-of-day weighting, and a source-type masking coefficient (M). This is a Phase 2 research sketch for the ISVD Quiet City Project; the M coefficients are designed to be updated post-hoc based on subjective evaluation data from Bunkyo Ward (文京区) fieldwork planned for autumn 2026 to spring 2027. This is a distinct direction from the 'dB-stress divergence index' discussed elsewhere, is not an established metric, and will be withdrawn if its independence from Zwicker Perceived Annoyance or ISO 12913 PA cannot be verified.Related terms: Sensory Stress Index / Soundscape
Source↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Sound Source Mask (M) One of the components of the Contrast Index. A coefficient representing the contribution of sound source type (horn, motorcycle, ambulance, natural sounds, etc.) to annoyance, functioning as a 'semantic gate' in the multiplicative composition of CI. Designed using Spearman correlation values from the Hou et al. (2023) HGRL model as a literature prior, to be updated in a Bayesian manner with subjective evaluation data from Bunkyo Ward (文京区) fieldwork. Intended as a literature-based estimate rather than an intuitive value. Note: this is distinct from the psychoacoustic concept of auditory masking.Related terms: Contrast Index (CI)
Source↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
16 entries
Open bibliography → Detailed reference list for this research.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Geographic Ecological Momentary Assessment (GEMA) of environmental noise annoyance: the influence of activity context and the daily acoustic environment↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Zhang, X., Zhou, S., Kwan, M.-P., Su, L., & Lu, J. (2020)
Guangzhou, China. GPS-equipped phones paired with portable noise sensors to record noise annoyance in place, by activity context. Referenced for fieldwork design in this lab.
7. The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World
Schafer, R. M. (1977)
The foundational text of the soundscape concept. Proposes a framework for understanding the acoustic environment through the lens of culture and perception.
8. 9. 10. 11. Le radar sonore « Hydre » (Sonic Radar Hydre)↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Bruitparif (2025)
An automated acoustic measurement and enforcement radar developed by Bruitparif, building on the Méduse sensor technology. Phase 1 (2022) was demonstrated at three sites: the 20th arrondissement of Paris (20区), Villeneuve-le-Roi, and Saint-Lambert des Bois. Phase 2 (verbalization, penalty phase) was scheduled for spring 2025. Also under trial in Berlin, Geneva, Brussels, and Barcelona.
12. 13. 14. 15. Autoethnography: An Overview↗ (external site, opens in a new tab)
Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., & Bochner, A. P. (2011)
Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1), Article 10. A foundational paper defining the methodology and legitimacy of autoethnography. Argues that first-person description by researchers with lived experience contributes to hypothesis generation.
16. Academic Roadmap Society memberships, paper submissions, and presentation plans.
Membership · Planned
Join the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of Japan (INCE/J) INCE/J — The core body for noise research. Its journal of INCE/J appears six times a year. Full membership ¥10,000/year
How to join↗ (external site, opens in a new tab) Membership · Planned
Join the Soundscape Association of Japan (SAJ) SAJ — An interdisciplinary community that maps directly onto the Quiet City Project
2026-09 Publication · Planned
Working Paper ISVD-WP-2026-002: Field Report on the Sound Environment of Bunkyo Ward Zenodo — Obtain a Zenodo DOI, making it citable academic literature
2026-11 Paper Submission · Planned
Poster presentation at the JSSTS Annual Meeting JSSTS — "The Social Construction of Noise Standards — Institutional Design That Renders the Sensory-Sensitive Invisible"
2026-11 Paper Submission · Planned
INCE/J Autumn Meeting INCE/J — Presenting the engineering database: GIS noise mapping plus the sensory stress index
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