Search Results (7)

Sensory heritage encompasses culturally valued practices, rituals, and everyday activities experienced through the senses. While sight often dominates, hearing and smelling are generally more immersive and pervasive. Soundscape research is a well-established field within urban studies; however, smellscape remains insufficiently recognised. This study is part of Multimodal Hong Kong, a project aimed at documenting sensory cultural heritage across the city by capturing the complex interplay between soundscape, smellscape, urban experiences, everyday activities, and memory. We investigated the multisensory environment at Wong Tai Sin Temple through acoustic measurements and perceptual ratings of soundscape and smellscape across 197 locations within and around the site. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with visitors (N = 54, 15,015 words of transcript), which were analysed using content analysis and natural language processing. The results indicate that elevated noise levels mainly arise from human voices and pipe music within the temple compound, as well as traffic noise in the surrounding area. The smell of incense dominates near the temple altars, whereas natural, grassy odours prevail in the adjacent park. Interview responses confirm that incense burning constitutes a traditional religious practice forming a distinctive olfactory marker for Chinese temples, but it is also perceived as having adverse health implications. This study contributes to the growing body of sensory heritage research, underscoring the importance of both soundscape and smellscape in fostering culturally inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable urban environments. Full article

This article suggests a landscape architectural framework that purposefully integrates plant scents into the design of urban green spaces. The framework is relevant in the planning and design of urban greening with the aim of enhancing biodiversity and creating a more human-centered environment to provide good living conditions and health benefits for city dwellers. A drawing–interview method is used to understand how plant scent is used in landscape design practice by examining two real-life projects. Reflecting on the opportunities and challenges of using plant scent in urban spaces, this article introduces a framework that focuses on the connections between the nature of plant scents, human access to it via design, and the perception and effect of it. This framework can be used to incorporate plant scent as part of a multisensory design responding to both the physical, social and cultural context of a space. Full article

As the cultural importance of universities continues to grow, university museums have become key platforms for promoting university heritage and values. However, enhancing the visitor experience in these museums remains challenging. This study examines the effectiveness of smellscape in enhancing the visitor experience in university history museums, with a focus on how various scents impact visitors’ emotions. Using the Fuzhou University History Museum as a case study, the museum was divided into three distinct zones: the Historical Evolution Zone (HEZ), the Contemporary Development Zone (CDZ), and the Thematic Exhibition Zone (TEZ). Specific scents were selected for each area to evaluate their emotional impact, and data were gathered using electroencephalography (EEG) indicators, emotional questionnaires, and scent pleasure scales. The results indicated that calming scents like sandalwood and agarwood, used in the HEZ, convey a sense of historical depth but may also evoke negative emotions, whereas sage enhances positive feelings. In the CDZ, rosemary and mint significantly improve emotional states, while lemongrass exhibits weaker pleasantness and appears less suited for this area. In the TEZ, scents such as patchouli and orange blossom align well with future-oriented themes, demonstrating high levels of pleasantness and emotional value. Smellwalk interviews further validated the experimental results, revealing notable differences in the emotional impact of smellscape across different exhibit zones. A thoughtful selection of scents can enhance the cultural expression of spaces and effectively regulate visitors’ emotional experiences, strengthening the cultural resonance of museum environments. Future designers may consider incorporating olfactory elements into landscape design. Full article

The smellscape of garden plants plays a crucial role in promoting human well-being. Despite this, empirical data on the specific effects of distinct stimulation methods on public health remain insufficient. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of three distinct sensory modalities, olfactory, visual, and their combined effect, on both physiological and psychological reactions to a pine forest’s smellscape. A sample of 95 college students was selected, with data collected through both physiological and psychological measurements. The analysis focused on variables such as blood pressure (BP), pulse rate (P), pulse pressure (PP), skin conductance (SC), brainwave patterns (α, β), the odor emotion semantic differential (SD), and the State Anxiety Inventory (S-AI) scale. The results reveal that in the pine forest aroma environment, the central nervous system shows a compromise effect during olfactory–visual interaction, with greater autonomic nervous system (ANS) activation compared with either stimulus alone, suggesting cumulative effects. Psychologically, the influence of olfactory interaction on anxiety fell between that of visual and olfactory stimulation. Participants consistently reported that the combination of both the sight and scent of a pine forest was the most invigorating. Furthermore, research revealed that combining olfactory and visual stimuli led to a more profound amplification of positive environmental perceptions compared with when each sense was engaged individually. These findings lay the groundwork for understanding how garden plant aromas contribute to human well-being. Full article

The construction of urban green spaces is a pivotal aspect of sustainable urban development. As societal preferences evolve, a shift from visually oriented landscapes to multi-sensory landscapes has emerged. However, scant attention has been given to the olfactory dimension of urban green spaces. This study addresses this gap by investigating the relationship between odor perception and park visit experiences, employing a combination of smellwalks and questionnaire surveys conducted in Purple Bamboo Park in Beijing. Natural odors, with most perception frequencies above 60%, are the most dominant odors in Purple Bamboo Park during the summer, including plant, water, and soil smells. The questionnaire survey results revealed a positive correlation between the perception of natural odors and tour experience. Notably, floral fragrances emerged as the predominant olfactory stimulus influencing the park’s olfactory ambiance. Furthermore, a remarkably strong association was observed between the degrees of olfactory, visual, and overall experiential satisfaction, which indicates that multi-sensory experiences in urban parks work as an organic whole. By recognizing the pivotal role of smell in shaping perceptions, urban planners and designers can now integrate olfactory considerations into their work, thereby elevating the overall quality and sustainability of urban green spaces. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological recovery effects of olfactory, visual and olfactory–visual stimuli associated with garden plants. In a randomized controlled study design, ninety-five Chinese university students were randomly selected to be exposed to stimulus materials, namely the odor of Osmanthus fragrans and a corresponding panoramic image of a landscape featuring the plant. Physiological indexes were measured by the VISHEEW multiparameter biofeedback instrument and a NeuroSky EEG tester in a virtual simulation laboratory. The results showed the following: (1) In the olfactory stimulation group, from before to during exposure to the stimuli, the subjects’ diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (ΔDBP = 4.37 ± 1.69 mmHg, p < 0.05) and pulse pressure (PP) values increased (ΔPP = −4.56 ± 1.24 mmHg, p < 0.05), while their pulse (p) values decreased (ΔP = −2.34 ± 1.16 bmp, p < 0.05) significantly. When compared to the control group, only the amplitudes of α and β brainwaves increased significantly (Δα = 0.37 ± 2.09 µV, Δβ = 0.34 ± 1.01 µV, p < 0.05). (2) In the visual stimulation group, the amplitudes of skin conductance (SC) (ΔSC = 0.19 ± 0.01 µΩ, p < 0.05), α brainwaves (Δα = 6.2 ± 2.26 µV, p < 0.05) and β brainwaves (Δβ = 5.51 ± 1.7 µV, p < 0.05) all increased significantly relative to the control group. (3) In the olfactory–visual stimulus group, DBP (ΔDBP = 3.26 ± 0.45 mmHg, p < 0.05) values increased, and PP values decreased (ΔPP = −3.48 ± 0.33 bmp, p < 0.05) significantly from before to during exposure to the stimuli. The amplitudes of SC (ΔSC = 0.45 ± 0.34 µΩ, p < 0.05), α brainwaves (Δα = 2.28 ± 1.74 µV, p < 0.05) and β brainwaves (Δβ = 1.4 ± 0.52 µV, p < 0.05) all increased significantly relative to the control group. The results of this study show that the interaction of olfactory and visual stimuli associated with a garden plant odor landscape was able to relax and refresh the body to a certain extent, and this physiological health effect was greater with regards to the integrated response of the autonomic nervous system and central nervous system than the effect of only smelling or viewing the stimuli. In the planning and designing of plant smellscapes in garden green space, it should be ensured that plant odors and corresponding landscapes are present at the same time in order to ensure the best health effect. Full article

The smell of space is inseparable from the sustainable development of the living environment. The research on olfactory perception and smell landscape has a positive effect on landscape design and urban planning and contributes to the formation and design optimization of unique urban memory. This study combines urban smell tracking experiments with Internet social media data analysis to classify smells in the old city center of Guangzhou, China, and analyzes the study within the inner ring and six historic districts. Based on the research results, the smell map was drawn, and the reliability of the smell map was tested through social data and semantic analysis. The emotional score heat map of smell and emotion in six regions was constructed, highlighting the impact of smell in key neighborhoods on the environment. In the conclusion to the study, the thematic routes of green urban design are proposed: sightseeing routes, cultural routes, and food routes, as well as improvement strategies to promote the integration of smell and urban operation activities and the sustainable development of urban regional characteristics. Full article