Zoning

Those Living Along Arterial Roads Bear the Greatest Noise Burden — An Environmental Justice Hypothesis for Japan

Low-income households and persons with disabilities tend to concentrate in affordable housing along arterial roads, and the severity of noise exposure is inversely proportional to income. While international theoretical frameworks are well established, empirical evidence in Japan is nonexistent. This note examines the structure in which the regulatory framework itself reserves more lenient standards and longer grace periods for arterial roadsides.