A study to explore smellscape: from understanding and interpretation to evaluation and design in urban intermodal transit spaces in UK and China

This study aims to generate a systematic approach to exploring smellscape, from understanding and interpretation to evaluation and design in a specific type of public space - urban intermodal transit spaces, that large numbers of people visit every day, and which have intensive traffic flows and various functions. Taken Grounded Theory as a methodological approach, this study took one typical case from each country, Wuchang Railway Transit Centre and Sheffield Railway Station and Bus Interchange, to explore smellscapes in intermodal transit spaces in China and UK. An analytic procedure has been generated from the studied cases explaining people’s perception of smell environments through key elements in the concept, influenced by eleven perceptual patterns. This analysis answers the question of how to understand and interpret smellscape. In terms of people’s assessment of the pleasantness of smellscape, nine indicators were identified, which have been developed into a framework for measuring smellscape quality and classifying different types of smellscapes. The most dominant type of pleasantness in urban intermodal transit spaces is mainly influenced by cleanness and freshness. The perceptual process and evaluation criteria help with understanding and analysing existing smellscapes, and also inform the design objective for achieving a pleasant smellscape in target spaces. In terms of designing a pleasant smellscape in the target context, a design framework has been constructed at three scales with design methods and examples, responding to identified components from smells and smell sources, individual differences, physical environmental settings and contextual issues. This also gives an example of integrating smellscape design into a traditional design framework for a specified functional public space at the macro, midi and micro levels

Smells, well-being and the built environment

In this Research Topic, we aimed to collect a range of contributions to understand the emotional and wellbeing responses resulting from smells in different public spaces (museums, highstreets, heritage buildings, food districts, neighborhoods, squares, etc.) to inform future spatial design and management. The articles in this Research Topic are presented according to three types of contributions: reviews and conceptual analyses, empirical research in fieldwork, in laboratory studies and technological applications. Reviews and Conceptual Analyses Xiao et al. reviewed smellscape research studies conducted in the past 10 years to identify the challenges and related areas of future research, namely smell archives and databases, social justice within odor control and management, and research into advanced building materials. Spence reviewed the changing role of smells in the built environment from negative associations with sanitation to meaningful personal and cultural associations with memories and experiences which led to an evaluation of different approaches in examining the impact of smells on people's mood or wellbeing and the challenges of researching smells in the multi-sensory environment. Moving from the sick building sydrome to sick transport sydrome, Spence further reviewed the smells in transport environments as aesthetic and functional, and suggests challenges for future transportation to produce a more tangible vision to integrate smells in the design process to achieve the right balance of olfactory stimulation. Looking backwards to scented past, Bembibre and Strlič make the case for the need of knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary interpretation of findings in the field of olfactory heritage, providing an overview of methodological and museal studies as well as challenges associated with historical scent reconstruction. Empirical Research - Fieldwork Pálsdóttir et al. carried out a field study with participants suffering from stress-related mental disorders and explored how they would describe their smellscape perception of a garden in the context of a nature-based rehabilitation intervention. In a different field study, de Groot investigated whether ambient scents could affect customers' subjective experience and spending behavior in an experiment with customers of a second-hand clothing store. The author concluded that for that to happen, the smellscape should have a meaningful link to the physical context. Masaoka et al. present the results of a study conducted to examine whether continuous odor stimuli associated with autobiographical memories could activate olfactory areas in the brain of older adults and assess whether this odor stimulation could have a protective effect against age-related cognitive decline. Empirical Research - Laboratory Studies and Technological Applications Masaoka et al. investigated the potential protective effect from age-related cognitive decline of continuous odor stimuli associated with autobiographical memories and whether those could activate the above olfactory areas in older adults. Jiang et al. used blood pressure, pulse rate, EEG, POMS, and SD data to examine the odor-visual effects of the Primula forbesii Franch compared with the non-fragrant Primula malacoides Franch on the physiological and psychological state of Chinese female college students in the indoor environment. Courrèges et al. examined the correlations between odor and texture in users' perceptions of cosmetic creams cross-culturally, in laboratory conditions, using questionnaires, minimizing the impacts of branded messages from the packing and retail spaces. Amores et al. discussed the design and technical implementation of Essence- a smartphone-controlled wearable device that monitors users' EEG and real-time sleep staging algorithm to release scents to interact with users- in home-based sleep environments. The articles included in this Research Topic represent a nice balance between the theoretical reviews, empirical studies and laboratory research, showing the vibrance and dynamic in this research field as well as new technological developments such as extended reality, emotional sensors (i.e. EEG, GSR) and odor monitoring devices. New insights are drawn into the theoretical frameworks to understand relationships between smells, wellbeing and emotions, behaviors and physiological aspects; methodological approaches to measure smell triggered emotions, experiences, and quality of life; practical explorations on the process and challenges of using smells to influence user experiences in the built environment

Architecture, festival and the city: introduction

The theme of this issue of Architecture and Culture is “Architecture, Festival and the City.” Our aim has been to posit and to explore the relationship between festivals and their settings, in order to ask what constitutes festival in the contemporary city - what allows a traditional festival to endure, and how can a new festival become meaningful

Architecture, festival and the city: introduction.

The theme of this issue of Architecture and Culture is "Architecture, Festival and the City". Our aim has been to posit and to explore the relationship between festivals and their settings in order to ask what constitutes festival in the contemporary city?; what allows a traditional festival to endure?; how can a new festival become meaningful?; and what do we expect a festival to do? The papers originate from the fourteenth conference of the Architectural Humanities Research Association (AHRA), held at Birmingham City University in November 2017, which itself grew out of our own research interests – Christian Frost's in the persistence of the Florentine festival of San Giovanni and its significance as a representation of civic order; María José Martínez Sánchez's in the articulation of public and civic spaces through performance; and Jieling Xiao's in the sensory experience of public space. The papers examine festivals through a variety of different lenses – through history (architectural and otherwise), anthropology, literary theory, phenomenological hermeneutics, and performance theory, to name the most prominent. Collectively, they explore the genesis of festivals and their continuity – often brought about, paradoxically, through changes to traditions, changes resulting from historical events. The importance of the specific temporality and the liminal status of festivals is made clear through discussions particularly of contemporary festive events, in which boundaries between "public" and "private" are frequently called into question. These themes, of festival and tradition, festival and time, festival and place, guided our editorial and curatorial decisions as we considered how to instigate the "Architecture, Festival and the City" conference and its exhibition as a festive event in its own right, and to understand its resultant publications (a book of the same title, and this journal issue) as versions of its continuity

Proactive Sensory Urban Design

Nowadays we see a growing interest in how urban design and planning practices can bring in the sensory dimension of the built environment to contribute to the creation of more sustainable and healthy cities. However, as the literature shows, there is little applied research in practices that can be referred to as examples of (multi)sensory urbanism as well as tools and techniques that can be leveraged by professionals. Against this backdrop, this article aims to contribute to this line of inquiry by providing guidelines / a toolkit for designing public spaces with sound and smell, grounding on the analysis of best practices where sound and smell are treated not as pollutants but as resources for creating quality urban environments. These selected projects are taking an appreciative approach providing either innovative solutions or temporary experiences to create new urban values through senses. By analysing the best practices, we ultimately aim to follow a change in perspective, moving from a reactive design approach (to abate the pollutants) to proactively promoting the quality of the sonic and smell environments

An Investigation of Soundscape Factors Influencing Perceptions of Square Dancing in Urban Streets: A Case Study in a County Level City in China

Square dancing is a popular music-related group physical exercise for health benefits in China mainly participated by mid-aged women and elderly people. This paper investigates the soundscape and enjoyment of the square dancing in urban streets through a case study in Lichuan, a county level city in southwest China, in December 2017. It examines the impact of gender, age, participation and places on perceptions of square dancing soundscape. Two sites along two main urban streets in the city were selected to conduct onsite investigations where residents spontaneously perform square dancing on a daily basis. Ethnographical observations were conducted to identify the social-physical features and sounds of both sites during the dance and without dance. Sound pressure measurements (LAeq and LAmax) were also conducted under the two conditions. An off-site survey was distributed through the local social media groups to understand residents’ everyday experiences and perceptions of square dancing in the city; 106 responses were received for the off-site survey. T-tests and Chi-squared tests were used for statistical analysis of the survey data. The results show gender does appear to be a factor influencing the regularity of participation in square dancing, with a bias towards more female participants. Participation frequency of square dance has an impact on the enjoyment of square dancing. There is no correlation between the dislike of watching square dancing, or dislike of the music and a desire to restrict locations for square dancing

Recent advances in smellscape research for the built environment.

The interrelationships between humans, smells and the built environment have been the focus of increasing numbers of research studies in the past ten years. This paper reviews these trends and identifies the challenges in smellscape research from three aspects: methodological approaches, artistic design interventions and museum practices, and odour policy making. In response to the gaps and challenges identified, three areas of future research have also been identified for this field: smell archives and databases, social justice within odour control and management, and research into advanced building materials. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Xiao, Aletta, Radicchi, McLean, Shiner and Verbeek.

Editorial: Smells, Well-Being, and the Built Environment

From the pungent smells of Khari Baoli Spice Market in New Delhi to soothing smells of Mayfair Lavender Farm in south London, smells bring distinct identities to places and can connect people emotionally to the surroundings (Porteous, 1985). Smells are powerful to influence our feelings and recall memories of the past. Experiences of smells enrich our understanding of places and behavioral responses in places (Classen et al., 1994; Henshaw, 2014; Xiao, 2018) (Figure 1). In light of aromatherapies, spaces with therapeutic smells can potentially bring positive impacts on human wellbeing. In service spaces, smells are important environmental cues to delight people. In artistic practice, smells are curated to create an immersive experience to connect the audience and artists' inner worlds. Conversely smells in the form of odor pollution deriving from waste, traffic, plants, and food districts can compromise the quality of life of residents, and negatively affect our experience of places and lead to behavior changes (Henshaw et al., 2018). In this Research Topic, we aimed to collect a range of contributions to understand the emotional and wellbeing responses resulting from smells in different public spaces (museums, highstreets, heritage buildings, food districts, neighborhoods, squares, etc.) to inform future spatial design and management. The articles in this Research Topic are presented according to three types of contributions: reviews and conceptual analyses, empirical research in fieldwork, in laboratory studies and technological applications