Integrating Four Human Senses into Highway Landscape Process: A System Approach

Abstract

Current highway landscape design guidelines focus only on the visual aspect of the landscape. This paper presents a comprehensive framework for highway landscape planning/design that considers all four senses (vision, sound, touch, and smell). The framework includes advanced technologies, such as electroencephalograms, electromyograms, galvanic skin response, and light detection and ranging that are used to evaluate the and physiological aspects of all users (drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists). In addition, two new elements are included in the framework: landscape consistency and the pavement as a landscape. The traditional landscape applications (structural features and transportation elements) and the emerging applications (tunnels, freeways, pedestrian paths, and cyclist paths) are described. Important landscape considerations, including sustainability, traffic safety, persons with disabilities, and education and research are discussed. The proposed framework, which reflects emerging developments in China, Europe, and other countries, should be of interest to highway practitioners involved in highway landscaping design.

Human Smell-Technology Initiatives: Can Smell Improve Road Safety?

“…Highway Landscaping: The smell sense is not a part of highway landscapes, but it has been implemented in landscape areas such as hotels, retailers, and restaurants. Recently, researchers started to address the potential of using smell as part of the environment landscape, including Perkins C, et al [35], Henshaw V [36], Henshaw V, et al [37], Kang J, et al [38], and Easa S, et al [17]. The smell is thought to have the potential to influence emotional state and behavior at an unconscious level, without the implicit agreement or knowledge of the individual.…”

“…Figure 3 shows the landscape of a 1.2-km tunnel for non-motor vehicles (red road lane) and pedestrians in China [17]. The tunnel is decorated with 3D inkjet paintings of blue sky and white clouds on the ceiling, with flying birds, balloons, and spacecraft patterns.…”

“…The applications are classified into general and road safety applications. The general applications include smelling screens [15], mobile notification [14], virtual reality [16], highway landscaping [17], outdoor environment [18], fruit picking games [19], presentation technology [20], and training and simulation [21]. In particular, the landscaping application included a framework incorporating the four human senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, and feeling) and several design principles.…”