Noise Pollution
Basics
Where the Battles Against Harmful Highways and Hyper-Scale Data Centers Collide
Hyperscale AI data centers and highways are both harmful forms of fossil fuel infrastructure that get built without much community input — and it's time to fight back against both, one of our favorite podcasters argues.
September 22, 2026
Traffic Noise Kills 6,330 Americans a Year; We Stopped Counting in 1982
Removing just five decibels of noise from our neighborhoods would save lives. So why aren't we even measuring it, never mind taking action to quiet our streets?
September 17, 2026
How One Artist Is Helping Neighbors Decide How Their City Should Sound
An Italian researcher is challenging tactical urbanists to think about sound — and helping neighborhoods imagine something better for their auditory environments.
November 5, 2025
Commentary: The Horrifying Sound of Traffic Violence
Bernal residents could have woken to the sound of a reckless driver crashing into concrete. Instead, another man is dead in a city that isn't yet serious about Vision Zero
October 15, 2025
OPINION: NYC Has Noise Cameras To Catch Loud Cars. Why Aren’t We Funding It?
The Adams administration is supposed to install 25 of them by the end of September. What's going on?
August 20, 2025
Talking Headways Podcast: Creating Positive Soundscapes in Cities
Chris Berdik on health and wellbeing, how our brains process sound and creating positive urban soundscapes.
June 13, 2025
Car Noise Pollution is Worse in Redlined Neighborhoods — And Not Just for Humans
Transportation noise pollution can wreak havoc on wildlife populations, too — and that can have a devastating effect on their human neighbors.
December 6, 2023
Who Gets Peace and Quiet?: Urban Noise in the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 stay-at-home advisories of 2020, the world quieted. As a community noise researcher, I felt the changes acutely.
October 18, 2023
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Roadside Noise Cameras
Across America, a shocking number of drivers are illegally hacking their cars to be as loud as possible — and evidence is mounting that the phenomenon has a huge impact on public health. But what can cities do about it?
February 28, 2023
