The Urban Sound Planner (SONORUS)

Traffic noise pollution in urban areas is a major environmental problem within the European Union. Creating an acceptable acoustic outdoor environment is a big challenge of high need. Creating as well as preserving environments, which are supportive for health and well-being in a sustainable manner is an even bigger but unavoidable task. In order to succeed, specialists are required with a broad research competence covering areas such as acoustic prediction methods, noise control and soundscaping, but also aspects of city and traffic planning. However, specialists equipped with such a competence spectrum are hardly found. Therefore, the goal of SONORUS is to close this gap and bring together universities, enterprises and public organizations that aim to offer training to ESRs in an arena of trans-disciplinary research. The training is designed around real-life urban test sites that are characterized by a poor acoustic environment due to noise from road, rail or air traffic. These test sites are provided by three major European cities (Berlin, Rome and Antwerp). To these test sites, the ESRs will apply their knowledge and skills gained from individual acoustics related research projects, in-depth courses on acoustics as well as on different aspects of spatial planning. The ESRs will, in teams, design a long-term plan for the development of the acoustic environment on the test sites. This activity will also give the opportunity to train complementary skills such as communication and outreach skills.From SONORUS a new generation of researchers will emerge with the profile adapted to the supra-disciplinary approach needed to reverse the negative trend of a deteriorating acoustic outdoor environment in urban areas. SONORUS has been designed with the intension that these researchers will be best prepared to further develop and above all to apply the new integrated concepts into practical urban planning processes and their effective coordination.

Partner organizations

• Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (Private, Italy)
• Ghent university (Academic, Belgium)
• Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Private, Switzerland)
• University of Sheffield (Academic, United Kingdom)
• SP Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut AB (Research Institute, Sweden)
• Second University of Naples (Academic, Italy)
• Müller-BBM (Private, Germany)
• Eindhoven University of Technology (Academic, Netherlands)