Posted on 18 July, 2025
De Oude Haven (The Old Port) in Rotterdam is a popular nightlife destination. This may also lead to noise pollution for local residents. To measure and address this, Rotterdam has taken measures, such as installing noise sensors in combination with conducting a nudging trial.
Our smart noise monitoring stations measure the noise picked up by patios and other nightlife sounds and identify specific noise sources, such as loud talking or shouting. At certain noise levels, the projectors display text on the street, actively reducing noise pollution.
This project follows on from our successful project in Leuven, which reduced nightlife noise by 30 percent with these smart solutions without human intervention.
Nudging
This is a way to influence behavior without prohibiting it, for example, by placing signs or other visual cues that encourage people to make less noise.
Some articles (in Dutch):
Municipality of Rotterdam:
Proef om geluidsoverlast in de oude haven te verminderen
Rotterdam vandaag en morgen:
Lawaai oude haven te lijf met nudging
Algemeen Dagblad:
Hou je bakkes. Gemeente start proef...