Spatiotemporal analysis of neighborhood noise complaints and related factors: A case study in Beijing, China

Widely existing and spatiotemporally characterized urban neighborhood noise can affect the quality of life of residents adversely. The number of neighborhood noise complaints (NNCs) is a representative indicator of residents affected by neighborhood noise and can be influenced by various built environment factors. This study aimed to identify the influencing built environment factors and their impact variations over time and space on NNCs. A total of 194,558 NNCs in the main urban area of Beijing, China, were selected as case studies. The results indicated that NNCs had temporal fluctuations and strong spatial clustering. Besides points of interest (POI) like restaurants and life services and land use variables, the community existence year and plot ratio also had significant positive impacts on the number of NNCs. Temporally, variable impacts showed U-shaped trends hourly with peaks around 10:00 to 14:00, while the coefficients of community existence year and plot ratio exhibited night rebounds with an increase after 22:00. Spatially, variable impacts displayed significant spatial variations with a centralized clustering of high-values. These spatiotemporal disparities underscore the need to consider comprehensive effects of urban built environment and residents’ living routines/perceptions of neighborhood noise. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for the refined and integrated urban neighborhood noise control strategies.