a b s t r a c t
Green spaces have been proved to have a positive effect on traffic noise pollution in the local scale;
however their effects have not been explored on the urban level. This paper investigates the effects
of green space-related parameters from a land cover viewpoint on traffic noise pollution in order to
understand to what extent greener cities can also be quieter. A triple level analysis was conducted in
the agglomeration, urban and kernel level including various case study cities across Europe. The green
space parameters were calculated based on land cover data available in a European scale, while traffic
noise data were extracted from online noise maps and configured in noise indices. In the first level 25
agglomerations were investigated, six of which were further analyzed in the urban and kernel levels. It
was found that the effect of green spaces on traffic noise pollution varies according to the scale of analysis.
In the agglomeration level, there was no significant difference in the cluster of the higher green space
index and the percentage of people exposed in the lowest (55–59 dB(A)) or the highest noise band of more
than 70 dB(A). In the urban level it was found that lower noise levels can possibly be achieved in cities
with a higher extent of porosity and green space coverage. Finally, in the kernel level a Geographically
Weighted Regression (GWR) analysis was conducted for the identification of correlations between noise
and green. Strong correlations were identified between 60% and 79%, while a further cluster analysis
combined with land cover data revealed that lower noise levels were detected in the cluster with higher
green space coverage. At last, all cities were ranked according to the calculated noise index.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.