Recent Advances in Smellscape Research for the Built Environment

Abstract

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.

Smellscape as a healing factor in institutional gardens to enhance health and well‐being for older people with dementia: A scoping review

“…It is important that environmental designers remove the barriers and safety hazards that make it difficult for people with dementia to access smellscape gardens. Importantly, user acceptance (Xiao et al., 2021), personal taste and cultural resonance (Wareen & Riach, 2018) are some of the barriers or facilitators to the design of smellscape. Furthermore, in addition to the non‐toxic and nonirritating plants mentioned in the articles (Collins et al., 2020; Gueib et al., 2020; Prolo & Sassi, 2017), the safety of smellscapes must be considered with regard to the unpleasant feelings caused by high‐intensity odours (Xiao et al., 2021), allergic reactions to irritating odours (Schiffman & Williams, 2005) and the harm of toxic odours to human health (Schiffman & Williams, 2005).…”

Odor, Air Quality, and Well-Being: Understanding the Urban Smellscape Using Crowd-sourced Science, Monitoring, and Modeling

“…139 However, odor is a determinant of quality of life, and increased consideration of smellscapes could support urban planning for healthy communities. 40 Such a consideration would require thinking about social justice and odor issues in concert, and such an analysis should consider community inputs as a key decision-making driver. In this work, we utilize odor experiences, their drivers, and impacts faced by the public as the starting point for research connecting the dots from odor reports to air quality and meteorology.…”

“…38 Research linking air quality and crowd-sourced science has grown over the past decade 39 and several studies have documented the smellscape of the urban environment using the crowd-sourced science approach to data collection, such as the Smell Pittsburgh project. 40 While a key limitation of the crowd-sourced science approach is that perception and reporting of odor is inherently subjective, and affected by the individual's genetics, previous behavior (e.g. alcoholism and smoking) and experience (occupational and environmental exposure) and attention, 41 the crowd-sourced science-based odor monitoring provides an option to incorporate data-driven advocacy at a large spatiotemporal scale and at a low cost.…”

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

“…An excellent review of the recent advances in smellscape research for the built Environment is presented by Xiao J, et al [27]. The authors discuss the trends and identify the challenges in smellscape research regarding methodology, artistic design, and odour policy making.…”