“A Perceptual Model of Smellscape Pleasantness”
Jieling Xiao, Malcom Tait, Jian Kang
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.01.013
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Smellscape as an invisible world:
Smells are inevitable in people's everyday experiences in cities, variously sourced from human activities to building materials and landscape, forming an invisible world around us (Zardini, 2005). 105
In Western cities, there is a trend of de-odourising public spaces as part of maintaining a social orders, reflecting modernist conception of contemporary urban planning. This is inseparable from the situation of industrial pollution in Western cities in history, where smells were mostly associated with poverty, illness and death (Degen, 2014).
However, the deprivation of smells makes places placeless and detached from our past.
Arabic and Eastern societies:
The role of smells in Eastern and Arabic societies are more important for interpersonal relationships and appreciated in many ways (Rodaway, 1994). For example, in China, there has been a history of burning fragrance to scent the indoor space and use aromatherapies.
Scents in Arabic culture are embedded in interpersonal relationships.
Rodaway (1994:79) stated that Arabic people enjoy and allow one's body odour to greet another as a way showing a close relationship. Compared to Eastern and Arabic societies, the western society has neglected perceptual values of smells for pleasure and identities in everyday cities (Lefebvre, 1991). 105
Smells & Place/Cultural identities:
Memories of smells link the present and past, interpreting changes of the environment over time or life traditions of the people who live in the place (Reinarz, 2014; Tuan, 1977). 105
As Pallasmaa (2012: 54) described:
“The most persistent memory of any space is often its smell... a particular smell makes us unknowingly re-enter a space completely forgotten by the (105) retinal memory; the nostrils awaken a forgotten image... The nose makes the eye remember...the scent sphere of a candy store makes one think of the innocence and curiosity of childhood..” (106)
The association of smells in a place with one's past experiences offer an intimacy between people and the place (Rodaway, 1994), which creates place attachments by giving personal meanings through perceived smells (Najafi & Shariff, 2011). People's memories of smells are actually found more durable than visual images (Engen & Ross, 1973).
The odour memories can also stimulate 'odour imagery' (Herz & Engen,1996) and evoke emotional responses (Herz, 1998; Schiffman, 1990), which enhance the overall experience in places. (106)
The authentic characteristics of places revealed by smells can contribute to the formation of place identities and demonstrate socio-geographic differences. (106)
The term smellscape:
Smellscape was first introduced by Porteous (1985/2006) in parallel with the Shafer's (1977) soundscape concept. Smellscape was first introduced by Porteous (1985/2006) in parallel with the Shafer's (1977) soundscape concept. In soundscape, a recent definition has been given as 'the acoustic environment perceived, and/ or understood by a person (through acoustic sensation) in a place influenced by its context)' (ISO, 2014: 1). Porteous, (1985/2006) describes the fragmented and space-time bounded human experience of places through smells, where the power of memory in perceiving smells was emphasised. Porteous (1985/2006: 91) said: 'the concept of smellscape suggests that, like visual impressions, smells may be spatially ordered or place-related', which should be 'non-continuous, fragmentary in space and episodic in time and limited by the height of our noses from the ground, where smells tend to linger.' Rather than odour, smell was used for the purpose of projecting a neutral attitude.
Smellscape in this preliminary study was used in various scales from continents, countries and regions to neighbourhoods and houses. (106)
In the later study by Rodaway (1994: 62), the term olfactory geography was used in preference to describe the link between smells, smell sources, spaces and people in the space. The term olfactory compared to smell is used to emphasise the action to smell and the physiological and neurological mechanism of the sense. (106)
In a more recent study, Henshaw (2013:5) adopted the term smellscape, and 'referring to the overall smell environment, but with the acknowledgement that as human beings, we are only capable of detecting this partially at any one point of time, although we may carry a mental image or memory of the smellscape in its totality. (106)
Compared to the other two terms, smellscape has a focus on the human experiences and considers smell as both an action (to perceive) and substance (constitute the environment). The term smellscape can also across disciplines, i.e. architecture, urban planning and design, landscape and geography.
The term smellscape, thus, is chosen purposely in this paper and can be described as the smell environment perceived and understood by a person (through olfactory sensation, influenced by ones' memories and past experiences) in a place (specific to its context). (106)
India & China:
Rodaway (1994) suggested, compared to western societies, countries like India and China have an intensive smell culture and value smells more, where thresholds of annoyance caused by smell intensity will be much higher. (110)
Indicators of Smellscape pleasantness:
Overall, nine indicators emerged from participants' descriptions which contribute to their smellscape pleasantness: cleanliness, preference, appropriateness, naturalness, freshness, familiarity, calmness, intensity and purity.
Freshness:
Freshness (fresh-stale) indicates air qualities in the environment and associated with natural elements onsite such as vegetation, water and soil. (110)
People generally felt more 'fresh' in outdoor spaces than indoor spaces which indicates ventilation or airflow is a key element contributing to freshness. The issue of crowding of people, scale and openness of the space were also influencing the quality of air and capacity of oxygen in the space, which thus influence freshness. (111)
Familiarity:
Familiarity (familiar-unfamiliar) played an important part in participants' configurations of smells and places, which had a significant impact on their smellscape pleasantness. (111)
Arousal familiarity comes from meaningful personal experiences and memories whilst non-arousal familiarity comes from repetitive perceptions of similar smell environments, i.e. the physical environment, smells or atmosphere. Arousal familiarity can enhance people's feelings of the pleasantness of perceived smellscapses. (111)
Calmness:
Calmness (calm-annoying). Achieving the sense of calmness can make people feel free from stress, undisturbed and relaxed (Russell, 2003). Smells can influence levels of anxiety (Arnot, 1991 cities in Rodaway, 1994). High levels of pleasantness were found among participants at Stop 5 (Tram Stop) and Stop 7 (Sheaf Square) where participants frequently described more 'relaxed' and 'calm'. For example:
I can smell the trees now. it is nice and clean, like natural smell. Uh, I can smell the trees over than other smells. It is very pleasant. It makes me feel calming. I feel more relaxed in this environment. And it is nice to look at. If you walk through the city, it would be quite stressful. But if you walk pass this place, you will feel more relaxed and pleasant.' (S05, female, age 33, at Stop2). (111)
Naturalness:
Naturalness (natural-artificial) seeks for congruency between olfactory perception and percei-vers' expectations.
Naturalness emphasises the congruence between smells and the physical environment or the physical existence of smell sources. It refers to whether perceived smells are from artificial sources such as perfumes, air freshener and scented products, or from natural elements such as grass, flowers and soil. For example:
I just wish to have some everyday normal smells except the bins and toilet smells. I don't want them to pipe some false non-existing smells. I don't mind smelling light coffee smell, the flowers, but not the air fresheners or sprays so often to hide the train smells. I just want natural. If I walk past a café, I am fine with the coffee smell, if I walk past the flowers, I am fine with the floral smells because it is nice fresh smell, but I wouldn't mind smell nothing, either.' (S06, female, age 54, at Stop 3). (111)
[P]articipants considered the waterscape as natural elements, some participants detected chlorine smell and considered it as a chemical smell which is unnatural and did not match the preconceptions about flowing water. The absence of naturalness in this case devaluated the overall smellscape pleasantness at this stop to some participants. (112)