A review of port noise management strategies to improve sonic cohabitation

Sonic cohabitation between port areas and the communities living nearby is a major concern for many cities worldwide. To manage port noise, city governments, port authorities, and even academic researchers have formulated various strategies at different scales. Most of these strategies have been published in a variety of formats (e.g., academic articles, acoustic reports, and governance guidelines), and to our knowledge, have never been compiled and reviewed. The present paper is a review of available documentation and literature to identify trends and practices in port noise management. A Web of Science search and additional reference list checks yielded a total of 69 documents, out of which we identified 41 documents for full review. We found that three main types of strategies are suggested or implemented, namely (1) technical solutions (e.g., noise barriers), (2) design and planning considerations (e.g., traffic calming, buffer zones), and (3) processes and operations (e.g., communication with residents, hours of operation). Few of the suggested or implemented strategies to mitigate noise port are evaluated after implementation. Nearly all of the evaluations rely on acoustic measurements and overlook resident experiences. We discuss ways to better involve residents to improve sonic cohabitation.