Abstract: Noise mapping has been recognised as a useful tool for city planning and management.However,its reliability and people's confidence to a noise map depends very much on whether it can be validated and updated based on noise monitoring data.Moreover,a noise map shall be able to reflect the ever-changing scenario of real traffic.This paper aims to provide a concise review of noise mapping,including its methodological issues and the extent of its application worldwide.The paper also discusses the necessity of having noise monitoring to serve as a functional tool that assists policy makers and people at large to make informed decisions.We conclude the paper by recommending further research to develop an integrated approach to assess and manage environmental noise in built environments.