GIS-based highway traffic noise analysis for land use planning

Improved accessibility caused by the development of roads is a major driving force for faster economic growth of a country. However, the uncontrolled roadside development and exposure to adverse environmental impacts in the absence of proper land use planning is often a major concern to planners. Traditional land use planning is not directly governed by environmental considerations. In the present paper a GIS based approach is suggested for the analysis of noise level due to highway development projects. The use of modelled noise levels for land use planning in the surrounding areas of highways is also demonstrated with reference to a case study in India.