Local in space and time: Acoustic environmental policy in Minnesota and a fine-scale spatiotemporal representation of aircraft noise impact on residential life

Abstract

Communities near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) have been affected by significant levels of aircraft noise. The ways that residents are sensitive to the noise have been reflected in the conflicts over how best to regulate it, including how to adopt mapping techniques that accurately reflect the degree of their exposure and how to provide the appropriate amount of mitigation. In this dissertation, a mixed-method approach is adopted to examine how the acoustic environment, and aircraft noise in particular, are configured spatiotemporally in an urban, residential context. First, the legal designation of quietude as an acoustic natural resource in Minnesota is examined in regard to its implications for how aircraft noise exposure is regulated in the vicinity of MSP and how sound research can be reconceived on a broader scale. Next, a geospatial analysis of MSP aircraft departure patterns is adopted so that temporal variations are represented to better reflect the day-to-day noise exposure of local residents. Finally, a methodology is created for representing the cumulative impact of aircraft noise, based on changing departure patterns over time and the use of demographic data for the overall population, as well as sub-populations whose exposure varies based on the time spent at home. The project is guided throughout by three overarching concerns: the impact of environmental policy on the acoustic landscape, the urban acoustic environment from a residential perspective, and geographic representations of aircraft noise exposure at finer spatial and temporal scales.