lnLroducLlon - 19

!"#$%& $ !"#!$%&'( (%)$*+,-

Mlrko ZA8ulnl
LxecuLlve ulrecLor and Chlef CuraLor aL Canadlan CenLre for ArchlLecLure


ln recenL years, Lhe CCA has seL Lo quesLlon aL Lhe assumpLlons on whlch archlLecLs operaLe.
We have embarked on Lhe sLudy and revlslon of an undeclared LerrlLory of false assump-
Llons, preconcepLlons, and aLLlLudes ln an aLLempL Lo evldence hldden agendas. We seek Lo
lnvesLlgaLe and explore Lhe grey zone" of conLemporary culLure, conLemporary socleLy, and
conLemporary archlLecLure Lo crlLlcally expose lLs conLradlcLlons.

5eose of tbe clty (2003) - Lhe flrsL of a serles of LhemaLlc exhlblLlons by Lhe CCA - seL Lo
challenge Lhe prevalence of Lhe vlsual ln our deflnlLlon and percepLlon of Lhe envlronmenL
aL Lhe expense of oLher forms of experlence. 1hls aLLlLude allowed us Lo lnLroduce a vlew-
polnL LhaL favored Lhe acLlve role of users and experlence raLher Lhan quanLlLy-based ldeas
llke program, funcLlon, or efflclency.

1he acknowledgmenL of an alLernaLlve framework also offered unexpecLed posslblllLles for
lnLervenLlon, suggesLed new roles and responslblllLles, and requlred new reflecLlons. lL
presenLed an unconvenLlonal approach Lowards Lhe concepL of experlence as a poLenLlal
Lool Lo properly callbraLe Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween lnhablLanLs and Lhe bullL envlronmenL.
lurLhermore, 5eose of tbe clty was an efforL Lo deflne experlence noL as a prlvaLe commodl-
Ly buL as a publlc provlslon characLerlzed by a mulLlLude of quallLles.

1he CCA's parLlclpaLlon ln Amblances 2012 ls lnscrlbed lnslde a larger efforL Lo sLudy experl-
ence ln a more crlLlcal and producLlve way. 1hls efforL ls noL dlrecLed Lowards flndlng or
offerlng posslble soluLlons buL ln reveallng dlverse dlrecLlons and poLenLlals. lL ls dellberaLe-
ly boLh a crlLlque of our presenL condlLlons and a suggesLlon for alLernaLlve paLhs.

1he followlng excerpLs are parL of 1owotJ o 5eosotlol utboolsm, a LexL by Mlrko Zardlnl ln
5eose of tbe clty. Ao Altetoote Apptoocb to utboolsm, orlglnally publlshed ln 2003 by Lars
Muller ubllshers.

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Author manuscript, published in "Ambiances in action / Ambiances en acte(s) - International Congress on Ambiances,
Montreal 2012, Montreal : Canada (2012)"
20 - 2nd lnLernaLlonal Congress on Amblances, MonLreal 2012
ln recenL years, numerous sLudles have Laken up Lhe Lheme of Lhe clLy and Lhe urban do-
maln. lL seems LhaL Lhe clLy can no longer be avolded: As Lhe predomlnanL seLLlng of our
dally llves, lL ls everywhere and ln everyLhlng."
1
1he noLlon of urbanlsm as a way of llfe,
lndependenL of Lhe physlcal denslLy of Lhe envlronmenL and Lhus noL dependenL on locale,
ls becomlng a concreLe reallLy.
2

uurlng Lhe 1960s and 1970s, sLudles and descrlpLlons of Lhe clLy focused malnly on changes
of scale, on Lhe surprlslng growLh LhaL led Lo Lhe emergence of novel urban conflguraLlons.
new Lerms such as meLropollLan reglon, clLy - reglon, megalopolls, or meglsLopolls
3
gradual-
ly began Lo replace LradlLlonal references llke clty, towo, vllle, clt, cltt, 5toJt, otbs, and
polls, and even meLropolls or CtostoJt, whlch were no longer consldered adequaLe Lo
descrlbe Lhe new conurbaLlons. SLudles and descrlpLlons of Lhe lasL decades have aLLempLed
Lo represenL Lhe new quallLles and lncreased complexlLy of urban phenomena. 1o suggesL
Lhese new condlLlons, auLhors have resorLed Lo ad[ecLlves or nouns modlfylng Lhe word
clLy."
4
lL ls clear from Lhe dlverse vlewpolnLs Lhese represenL LhaL a unlfled vlslon of Lhe
urban has been renounced ln Lhe face of Lhe complexlLy of Lhe phenomena belng observed
and analyzed.
So numerous are Lhe sLudles and Lhe Lerms colned ln servlce of Lhls new efforL of descrlpLlon
and lnLerpreLaLlon LhaL Lhey would flll noL one buL several dlcLlonarles on Lhe sub[ecL of Lhe
conLemporary clLy: anxlous clLy, clLy of blLs, compacL or cyber clLy. x or xerox clLy, year clLy,
2wlscbeostoJt or zweckeotftemJet
.3
. uesplLe Lhelr dlverslLy of approach, all of Lhese sLudles
reveal how Lhe clLles ln whlch we llve have changed, how our ways of looklng aL Lhe clLy
have changed, and above all, how we ourselves have changed.
./0"*& 12/ 3+,($4
urbanlsLlc sLudles and urban pro[ecLs have also aLLempLed Lo deflne new sLraLegles of lnLer-
venLlon LhaL are capable of effecLlng LransformaLlons of Lhe urban fabrlc, and of respondlng
Lo new problems posed by Lhe forces of globallzaLlon, de-locallzaLlon, and fragmenLaLlon.
lrom new urbanlsm Lo posL-urbanlsm or re-urbanlsm, from everyday urbanlsm Lo lnformal
urbanlsm, and from eco-urbanlsm Lo landscape urbanlsm, a range of new deflnlLlons have
been asslgned Lo conLemporary clLy plannlng ln recenL years.
6
1he mulLlpllclLy of Lhese

1. 5ee tbe lottoJoctloo to Asb Amlo & Nlqel 1btlft, cltles. kelmoqloloq tbe utboo, combtlJqe. lollty
ltess, 2002.
2. 5ee lools wlttb, utboolsm os o woy of llfe, lo 1he Amerlcan !ournal of Soclology, 19J8, Melvlo M.
webbet, 1be utboo lloce ooJ tbe Nooploce utboo keolm, lo Melvlo M. webbet et ol., LxploraLlons lnLo
urban SLrucLure, lblloJelpblo. uolvetslty of leoosylvoolo ltess, 1964.
J. Ieoo Cottmooo, Megalopolls: 1he urbanlzed norLheasLern Seaboard of Lhe unlLed SLaLes, New otk.
1weotletb ceototy looJ, 1961. 1be tetm meqlstopolls wos coloeJ by Cottmooo lo o 1978 essoy eo-
tltleJ Pow Large Can ClLles Crow? teptloteJ lo Slnce Megalopolls: 1he urban WrlLlngs of !ean CoLL-
mann, eJs. Ieoo Cottmooo & kobett A. notpet, 8oltlmote & looJoo. Iobos nopklos uolvetslty ltess,
1990.
4. lo tbls coooectloo, see Noo lllo, 5losb clty, lo LoLus lnLernaLlonal 110, 5eptembet 2001. 58-72.
5. lot o bypotbetlcol Jlctloooty oo tbe cootempototy clty, see loJovlco Molo & Mltko 2otJlol, eJs., lo
cltt cootempotooeo Jollo A ollo 2, lo archl, lebtooty 1999. 10-45. 1be compllotloo of Jlctloootles ls oo
locteosloqly commoo ptoctlce toJoy. lot o Jlffeteot lotetptetotloo, see 1he MeLapolls ulcLlonary of
Advanced ArchlLecLure, 8otcelooo. Actot, 200J.
6. A setles of semloots belJ ot tbe uolvetslty of Mlcblqoo lo 2004 offeteJ o fltst ooJ vety lotetestloq
poootomo, see kobol Mebtotto, eJ., Lveryday urbanlsm: MargareL Crawford vs. Mlchael Speaks, Aoo
Atbot. uolvetslty of Mlcblqoo ltess & A. AlfteJ 1oobmoo colleqe of Atcbltectote, 2005, kobett llsbmoo,
eJ., new urbanlsm: eLer CalLhorpe vs. Lars Lerup, Aoo Atbot. uolvetslty of Mlcblqoo ltess, 2005, koy
5ttlcklooJ, eJ., osL urbanlsm and 8eurbanlsm: eLer Llsenman vs. 8arbara LlLLenberg & SLeven eLer-
son - ueslgns for Cround Zero, Aoo Atbot, Mlcblqoo. uolvetslty of Mlcblqoo ltess, 2005. lot tbe Jebote
oo looJscope, see Iomes cotoet, eJ., 8ecoverlng Landscape: Lssays ln ConLemporary Landscape Archl-
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lnLroducLlon - 21
deslgnaLlons clearly reflecLs Lhe wlde range of responses and approaches adopLed ln Lhe
face of new urban phenomena worldwlde.
1here ls now wldespread lnLeresL ln Lhe envlronmenLal and ecologlcal lssues confronLlng
clLles, ln parLlcular susLalnablllLy and blodlverslLy, and a renewed and general falLh ln Lhe
efflcacy of Lhe Lools and meLhods of landscape deslgn Lo brlng abouL Lhe undersLandlng and
LransformaLlon of Lhe urban envlronmenL. lL ls noL [usL a quesLlon of a reapproprlaLlon of
Lhe Lechnlcal lnsLrumenLs, someLhlng LhaL ls noL new, lf we look aL Lhe experlences of Lhe
19
Lh
and early 20
Lh
cenLurles, buL raLher a concepLual change: we have moved from 8occlo-
nl's clLy LhaL rlses" Lo Lhe landscape LhaL advances," meLaphorlcally as well as acLually.
7
As
a resulL, lnakl balos and !uan Perreros can clalm LhaL every locaLlon has begun Lo be
regarded as a landscape, elLher naLural or arLlflclal."
8

lf we look back Lo Lhe laLe 1960s and 1970s, we flnd LhaL Lhe Lheme of Lhe urban envlron-
menL was already aL Lhe cenLre of many presclenL reflecLlons, mosL consldered radlcal aL Lhe
Llme. Powever dlsparaLe were Lhe vlewpolnLs of LhaL era, from Lhe Lechnologlcal opLlmlsm
of 8uckmlnsLer luller Lo Lhe soclal crlLlclsm of collecLlves llke SupersLudlo, Lhe urban envl-
ronmenL seems Lo have been examlned ln a broader and more complex manner Lhan ln
recenL decades.
9
lnvesLlgaLlons lnLo phenomenology, for example, Lhough Lhey may noL
have had wldespread lmpacL ln Lhe fleld aL large, have surely been a cruclal polnL of depar-
Lure for LheorlsLs llke !uhanl allasmaa and oLhers. 1hls sLrongly suggesLs Lhe need for a
reLhlnklng of proposals daLlng from Lhese years, especlally because Lhey were framed by
pollLlcal and soclal lssues, debaLes, and evenLs whose gravlLy ls mlrrored by evenLs LhaL are
overwhelmlng clLles Loday. WhaL ls clear ls LhaL some of Lhe mosL lnnovaLlve proposals of
Lhe 1970s exceeded our capaclLy Lo reallze Lhem aL Lhe Llme, whereas Loday, Lhey seem noL
only relevanL, buL also feaslble as evenLs on a global scale Lransform boLh Lhe landscape of
clLles and Lhe hlerarchy of our prlorlLles on a dally basls.
lL ls noL a maLLer of reLurnlng Lo a concepLlon of Lhe envlronmenL as purely cllmaLlc facL or
vlsual phenomenon, buL raLher of proposlng a broader vlew of Lhe envlronmenL LhaL Lakes
lnLo conslderaLlon Lhe full specLrum of percepLual phenomena LhaL make up Lhe sensorlal
dlmenslon beyooJ tbe teqlme of tbe vlsool. MaLerlal and LacLlle properLles, Lhe conLrol of
LemperaLure, humldlLy, and odours, along wlLh acousLlc quallLles are lncreaslngly consldered
fundamenLal Lo Lhe deflnlLlon of prlvaLe spaces. unforLunaLely, Lhls ls noL yeL Lhe case wlLh
urban spaces.
56/*,"%+$45 ,1%//1,
1he shrlnklng and lmpoverlshmenL of so-called publlc space ls now a promlnenL Lheme ln
conLemporary debaLes. Some of Lhe acLlvlLles once carrled ouL ln publlc space have been
Laken over by new forms of communal space (l.e., space LhaL ls prlvaLely owned buL ln publlc
use, such as shopplng malls or Lheme parks),
10
whlle oLher funcLlons of communlcaLlon and

LecLure, New otk. ltlocetoo Atcbltectotol ltess, 1999, ooJ Mobseo Mostofovl & clto Nojle, eJs., Land-
scape urbanlsm: A Manual for Lhe Machlnlc Landscape, looJoo. AA lobllcotloos, 200J
7. Mltko 2otJlol, ue lo cloJoJ poe sobe ol polsoje poe ovoozo, lo MeLrpolls, Cludades, 8edes, alsa[es,
eJs. Costovo Clll, lqoosl Je 5ol-Motoles, ooJ \ovlet costo, 8otcelooo. Costovo Clll, 2008, 208-212
8. lokl Abolos & Iooo nettetos, Iootoey tbtooqb tbe llctotespoe, o Notebook, lo Mostofovl & Nojle,
Landscape urbanlsm 56
9. 5ee Ioocblm ktoosse & clooJe llcbteostelo, eJs., ?our rlvaLe Sky - 8. 8uckmlnsLer luller. ueslgn als
kunsL elner WlssenschafL, 8oJeo. lots Mollet, 1999, ooJ ?our rlvaLe Sky: ulscourse, 8. 8uckmlnsLer
luller, 8oJeo. lots Mollet ooJ Moseom of ueslqo, 2otlcb, 2001, oo 5opetstoJlo, see mlllo Ambosz, eJ.,
ltoly, 1he new uomesLlc Landscape: AchlevemenLs and roblems of lLallan ueslgn, exb. cot, New otk.
Moseom of MoJeto Att & lloteoce. ceottl ul, 1972.
10. Mlcboel 5otklo, eJ., varlaLlons on a 1heme ark: 1he new Amerlcan ClLy and Lhe Lnd of ubllc
Space, New otk. nlll ooJ wooq, 1992
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22 - 2nd lnLernaLlonal Congress on Amblances, MonLreal 2012
enLerLalnmenL LhaL orlglnaLed as communal have been Lransferred Lo Lhe prlvaLe sphere by
means of Lhe Lelevlslon and compuLer. 1oday, one predomlnanL concern seems Lo be de-
Lermlnlng Lhe characLer of conLemporary urban space: secotlty. 1he open spaces of Lhe clLy,
sLreeLs and squares, along wlLh communal spaces, have above all become spaces of fear,
and Lhus, lnevlLably, spaces of conLrol. lear ls a prlmary force drlvlng Lhe prollferaLlon of
soclally homogeneous and conLrolled enclaves, gaLed communlLles, and Lheme parks. And lL
ls fear LhaL deLermlnes Lhe deflnlLlon of whaL ls lefL of publlc space.
1o keep fear - all Lhe varlous forms of fear LhaL have possessed us - aL bay, we have re-
sorLed Lo remedles such as Lhe lllumlnaLlon of publlc space, lLs enclosure and segregaLlon,
and vldeo survelllance. Accordlng Lo SLeven llusLy, cerLaln characLerlsLlcs are lnLroduced
lnLo urban spaces ln order Lo make Lhem repellenL Lo Lhe publlc. ZygmunL 8aumann polnLs
ouL LhaL, on Lhe conLrary, urban space oughL Lo be shaped by Lhe concepL of mlxophllla," Lo
favour and encourage Lhe posslblllLy of llvlng peacefully and happlly wlLh dlfference, and
Laklng advanLage of Lhe varleLy of sLlmull."
11
1o achleve Lhls end, lL would be necessary Lo
promoLe Lhe dlffuslon of publlc spaces LhaL are open, lnvlLlng, and hosplLable, spaces LhaL
clLlzens of all klnds of would be LempLed Lo make frequenL use of and Lo share lnLenLlonally
and wllllngly."
12
WhaL quallLles should Lhese spaces have? ls lL posslble Lo Lransform Lhe
urban spaces descrlbed by llusLy lnLo llvable, appeallng, and lnLeresLlng envlronmenLs?
As early as Lhe 1960s, ln her crlLlque of plannlng pracLlces, !ane !acobs suggesLed some
posslble quallLles of Lhe urban envlronmenL, sLresslng Lhe lmporLance of dlfference, of Lhe
human dlmenslon, and lnslsLlng on Lhe role of Lhe sLreeL as publlc space.
13
ln hls lnfluenLlal
LexL of Lhe 1980s, Wllllam P. WhyLe also proposed Lhe sLreeL and Lhe square as publlc
spaces pot excelleoce, analyzlng Lhelr modes of use and Lhelr varlous componenLs, from
waLer Lo wlnd, from Lrees Lo llghL, from shade Lo sun, arrlvlng aL Lhe ldea of a sensorlal
sLreeL."
14

noneLheless, clLy plannlng has long prlvlleged quallLles of urban space based excluslvely on
vlsual percepLlon. WheLher Lhe alm was Lo deflne a regular space Lhrough conLrol of allgn-
menLs and helghLs or Lhrough deflnlLlon of maLerlals and colours, or Lo accenLuaLe conLrasLs
and dlfferences ln a plcLuresque vlslon of Lhe urban envlronmenL, Lhe eye has always been
prlvlleged. 1he same conslderaLlon has noL been glven Lo Lhe ear and nose (nor Lhe sense of
Louch). Above all, sounds and odours have been consldered dlsLurblng elemenLs, and archl-
LecLure and clLy plannlng have excluslvely been concerned wlLh marglnallzlng Lhem, cove-
rlng Lhem up, or ellmlnaLlng Lhem alLogeLher.
7%"- 12/ 208+/*+9 9+10 1" ,-/44,9$:/, $*& ,"(*&,9$:/,
1hls process of sanlLlzaLlon of Lhe urban envlronmenL, alLhough lL was preflgued aL Lhe dawn
of Lhe lLallan 8enalssance by "Leonardo 8runl ln hls anegyrlc Lo Lhe ClLy of llorence" (clrca
1403-04),
13
ls only Laken up ln earnesL aL Lhe level of Lhe munlclpallLy ln Lhe mld-elghLeenLh

11. 2yqmoot 8oomoo, Llvlng wlLh lorelgners, oJJtess to tbe coofeteoce 1tost ooJ leot lo tbe clty,
uolJeo, uolcteJlt loooJotloo, 5oclet umooltotlo, Mlloo, Motcb J0, 2004, ptoceeJloqs pobllsbeJ os
llJoclo e pooto oello cltt, Mlloo. 8tooo MooJoJotl, 2005, JJ, ttooslotloo ftom tbe ltolloo by tbe ootbot
12. 8oomooo, Llvlng wlLh lorelgners, J5
1J. Iooe Iocobs, 1he ueaLh and Llfe of CreaL Amerlcan ClLles, New otk. MoJeto llbtoty, 1962
14. wllllom n. wbyte, ClLy: 8edlscoverlng Lhe CenLer, New otk. uoobleJoy, 1988
15. lloteotloe bomoolst leoootJo 8tool, cboocellot of tbe tepobllc ftom 1427, wtote bls looJotlo floteo-
tlooe otbls lo cooscloos lmltotloo of o 2
oJ
ceototy Au pooeqytlc oo Atbeos. 1be fltst keoolssooce wtltet to
otlllze oo oocleot lltetoty moJel fot o cootempototy text, 8tool oooetbeless Jepotts lo ctoclol woys ftom
tbe Cteek moJel, Jesctlbloq tbe otcbltectote ooJ cbotoctet of tbe clty lo wbolly oew tetms, pobllsbeJ lo
oqllsb ttoos. by 8eojomlo C. kobl, lo noos 8otoo, lrom eLrarch Lo Leonardo 8runl: SLudles ln Puma-
nlsLlc and ollLlcal LlLeraLure, cblcoqo. lobllsbeJ by tbe Newbetty llbtoty fot tbe uolvetslty of cblcoqo
ltess, 1968, 2J2-26J
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lnLroducLlon - 23
cenLury.
16
1he LransformaLlon of Lhe characLer and quallLy of publlc space sLarLs wlLh Lhe
flrsL regulaLlons concernlng sLreeL cleanlng and aLLempLs Lo conLrol Lhe prollferaLlon of dusL
and mud by pavlng sLreeLs wlLh sLone, and subsequenLly, asphalL. Lven wlLh respecL Lo
garbage collecLlon and Lhe ellmlnaLlon of dlrL and odours, Lhe vlsual aspecL of Lhe lnLerven-
Llon, wheLher lL was pavlng or plasLerlng, assumed a predomlnanL role, ofLen ln excess of
whaL was acLually requlred.
17

1hls dual preoccupaLlon wlLh Lhe vlsual and Lhe hyglenlc" has been a consLanL facLor ln Lhe
shaplng of aLLlLudes Loward Lhe modern clLy, and lL perslsLs Loday. 1hus, Lhe pavlng of roads
and squares, sLreeL llghLlng, and regulaLlons Lo prevenL Lhe spread of unpleasanL odours and
nolses were [usL Lhe flrsL sLep ln Lhe ongolng process of embelllshlng publlc space.
18
WlLh
Lhe lnLroducLlon and dlssemlnaLlon of new Lechnologles (now on an lncreaslngly global
scale), and Lhe consequenL producLlon of new and more or less undeslrable effecLs of a
sensory naLure, soluLlons consldered opLlmal aL one momenL come Lo be percelved as pro-
blemaLlc, ln and of Lhemselves, aL a laLer polnL. 1hls ls Lhe case wlLh asphalL, whlch ls now
blamed for Lhe lncrease ln auLomoblle Lrafflc, and also sLreeL llghLlng, whlch has resulLed ln
excesslve lllumlnaLlon of Lhe clLy aL nlghL.
Powever, Lhe conLlnuous eroslon of Lhe percepLual sphere, by sanlLlzaLlon on Lhe one hand
and sLandardlzaLlon on Lhe oLher, has Lo conLend wlLh olfacLory and aural dlsLlncLlons, whlch
however lmpalpable, have Lurned ouL Lo be hlghly reslsLanL. 1he processes of globallzaLlon
and Lhe dlffuslon of now-common odours (LhaL mlxLure of gasollne, deLergenLs, plumblng,
and [unk food of whlch lvan llllch speaks)
19
noLwlLhsLandlng, every clLy and every place sLlll
has lLs own smellscape: 1here ls a smell of London. 1here ls a 8usslan smell.... 1here ls a
smell of CenLral Lurope.... 1here are scenLs of Lhe MedlLerranean and Lhe CrlenL.... 1here ls
Lhe subLleLy of Lhe odours of lndla.... 1here are Lhe odours of Chlna... 1here ls Lhe smell of
Amerlca," observes Andre Slegfrled, one of Lhe flrsL wrlLers Lo Lake an lnLeresL ln Lhe geo-
graphy of colours, odours, and sounds.
20
Llkewlse, Lhe research of Murray Schafer and Lhe
laboraLolre C8LSSCn has focused on Lhe sLudy of dlverslLy ln soundscapes of urban envl-
ronmenLs.
21
1hus, alongslde Lhe LradlLlonal noLlon of a vlsual landscape, we have begun Lo
recognlze Lhe ldenLlLy of lndlvldual clLles by Lhelr unlque sounds and smells. Cne need only
look aL recenL rlse of recorded soundscapes as a form of gulde" Lo clLles around Lhe world,

16. lot oo ooolysls of tbe telotloosblp betweeo tbe clty ooJ tbe bomoo boJy, see klcbotJ 5eooett, llesb
ooJ 5tooe. 1be 8oJy ooJ tbe clty lo WesLern ClvlllzaLlon, New otk. w. w. Nottoo, 1994
17. koJolpbe el-kbooty, ollsh and ueodorlze: avlng Lhe ClLy ln LaLe-LlghLeenLh-CenLury lrance,lo
Assembloqe, uecembet 1996. 6-15
18. lt ls wottb tecollloq tbe lototlsts' oppteclotloo fot tbe oew oolses of tbe moJeto clty. 5ee lolql kosso-
lo, L'arLe del rumorl: manlfesLo -fuLurlsLa, Mlloo. ultezlooe Jel movlmeoto fototlsto, Motcb 11, 191J,
Mlloo. Jlzlool lototlste Jl loeslo, 1916, pobllsbeJ lo oqllsb os 1be Att of Nolses, ttoosl. ooJ lottoJ.
8otcloy 8towo, New otk. leoJtoqoo ltess, 1986
19. lvoo llllcb, P
2
0 and Lhe WaLers of lorgeLfulness, looJoo. Motloo 8oyots, 1986, 49-50
20. AoJt 5leqftleJ, lo Coqtopble Jes oJeots, lectote JellveteJ lo lotls lo 1947, pobllsbeJ lo Ceogra-
phle des odeurs, eJs. kobett uoloo & Ieoo-kobett lltte, lotls & Moottol. Jltloos l'notmottoo, 1998,
19-2J. lot o blstoty of tbe petceptloo of smells, see Alolo cotblo, Le mlasme eL la [onqullle. L'odoraL eL
l'lmaglnalre soclal, lotls. Aoblet, 1982. lot o qeoetol opptoocb to tbe tbeme, see olso bls nlstolte et
ootbtopoloqle seosotlelle, fltst pobllsbeJ lo AnLhropologle eL SocleLes 14/2 (1990), ooJ lotet lo Les
1emps, le deslr eL l'horreur: Lssals sur le dlx-neuvleme slecle, lotls. llommotloo, 2000, 228-241, ooJ
1lme, ueslre, and Porror: 1owards a PlsLory of Lhe Senses, ttoos. Ieoo 8lttell, combtlJqe, Moss.. lollty
ltess, 1995
21. A boslc lottoJoctloo to tbe wotk of k. Mottoy 5cbofet coo be foooJ lo 1he Soundscape: Cur Sonlc
LnvlronmenL ooJ tbe 1unlng of Lhe World, kocbestet, vetmoot. uestloy 8ooks, 1977. Also of lotetest ls
tbe teseotcb loto tbe soolc looJscopes cooJocteJ by tbe lobototolte ck55ON ot tbe uolvetslty of Cte-
ooble. Amooq tbe pobllcotloos comloq oot of tbls wotk ls Ieoo-ltoools AoqoyotJ & neoty 1otqoe, A
l'ecouLe de l'envlronnemenL. 8eperLolre des effeLs sonores, Motsellles. Jltloos loteotbses, 1995
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24 - 2nd lnLernaLlonal Congress on Amblances, MonLreal 2012
or Lhe lnslghLful sound lnsLallaLlons and walks" of Canadlan arLlsL !aneL Cardlff, Lo grasp Lhe
lmporLance of Lhls new alerLness Lo sounds and nolses ln Lhe urban envlronmenL.
;%92+1/91(%/ $*& ,/*,"%+$4 /<:/%+/*9/
lL ls noL [usL Lhe urban seLLlng ln whlch we llve LhaL changes wlLh Lhe passlng of Llme, buL our
own percepLlons, senslLlvlLles, and ways of llfe as well, as our sensory Lhresholds and levels
of Lolerance or appreclaLlon of odours, sounds, dlrL, darkness, cold, or heaL vary. Powever,
Lhls varlaLlon ln percepLlon and senslLlvlLy, and Lhus [udgmenL, does noL depend solely on
Llme, buL also on locaLlon and culLure.
22
1he absLracL ldea of a modern human belng who
prefers, for example, Lo llve aL an amblenL LemperaLure of 18C has glven way Lo a mulLl-
Lude of conLemporary human belngs who llve ln dlfferenL places and culLures, wlLh dlfferenL
levels of awareness and Lolerance.
23
ln conLrasL Lo whaL Charles Moore suggesLed ln Lhe
1970s,
24
we do noL llve" ln a generlc body, buL ln bodles LhaL dlffer wldely ln Lhelr percep-
Lual culLure and capaclLles, and LhaL are someLlmes even modlfled by Lechnologlcal pros-
Lheses. As uavld Powes has observed ln connecLlon wlLh Marshall McLuhan's research,
percepLlon ls noL [usL a maLLer of blology, psychology, or personal hlsLory, buL of culLural
formaLlon."
23
ln recenL years, Lhe human and soclal sclences, from anLhropology Lo geo-
graphy, have undergone a sensorlal revoluLlon" ln whlch Lhe senses" consLlLuLe noL so
much a new fleld of sLudy as a fundamenLal shlfL ln Lhe mode and medla we employ Lo
observe and deflne our own flelds of sLudy.
Much of conLemporary archlLecLure shares Lhls renewed lnLeresL ln a sensorlal experlence
exLendlng beyond Lhe purely vlsual realm. ArchlLecLs lncludlng CaeLano esce, !acques
Perzog, !uhanl allasmaa, SLeven Poll, kengo kuma, and even eLer Llsenman have polnLed
ouL LhaL Loo much lmporLance ls glven Lo Lhe vlsual aspecL of archlLecLure. ?es, sound,
maLerlal, noL [usL vlslon. WhaL l'm Lrylng Lo do ls Lo quesLlon Lhe domlnance of vlslon and
Lhls ls a dlfflculL Lhlng because mosL people are [udged by Lhe vlsual lmage. 1here ls Loo
much vlsual nolse ln our envlronmenL for me" remarked eLer Llsenman ln a recenL lnLer-
vlew.
26

ln Lhelr descrlpLlon of Lhe conglomeraLe order," Allson and eLer SmlLhson hypoLheslzed
LhaL a bulldlng can harnesses all Lhe senses: lL can accepL a cerLaln roughness, lL can ope-
raLe aL nlghL, lL can offer, especlally, pleasures beyond Lhe eyes: Lhey are perhaps Lhe plea-
sures of LerrlLory LhaL Lhe oLher anlmals feel so sLrongly."
27

ConLemporary lnLerlors - from hosplLals Lo Lhe communal spaces of shopplng malls, Lheme
parks, and places of enLerLalnmenL and consumpLlon - devoLe parLlcular aLLenLlon Lo dlffe-

22. Oo tbe sobject of soooJs, lt ls vety lotetestloq to look ot tbe Joto ptovlJeJ by k. Mottoy 5cbofet oo
oolses petcelveJ os ooooyloq lo Jlffeteot cltles ot tbe beqlooloq of tbe 1970s, wblcb ls clteJ lo 1be
5oooJscope, meotlooeJ obove, ooJ olso lo tbls volome, 170-171.
2J. keyoet 8oobom, 1he ArchlLecLure of Lhe Well-Lempered LnvlronmenL, cblcoqo & looJoo. uolvetslty
of cblcoqo ltess, 1969, 40
24. keot c. 8loomet & cbotles Moote, 8ody, Memory, and ArchlLecLure, New noveo ooJ looJoo. ole
uolvetslty ltess, 1977
25 uovlJ nowes, lottoJoctloo, lo Lmplre of Lhe Senses: 1he Sensual CulLure 8eader, eJ. uovlJ nowes,
OxfotJ ooJ New otk. 8etq, 2005, J-4. 1bls ls oo lotetestloq fotoy loto tbe seosool tevolotloo tbot bos
tokeo ploce lo tbe bomoo ooJ soclol scleoces.
26. letet lseomoo lotetvleweJ by cbloto vlseotlo lo Ceooo, 2004, oow ot www.flootootote.com
27 Allsoo & letet 5mltbsoo, lLallan 1houghLs, ptlvotely pobllsbeJ lo 5weJeo, 199J, 62. 5ee olso Iobool
lollosmoo, 1be yes of tbe 5klo. ArchlLecLure and Lhe Senses, looJoo. AcoJemy Jltloos, 1995, ooJ
5teeo llet kosmosseo, Lxperlenclng ArchlLecLure, combtlJqe, Moss.. 1be Ml1 ltess, 1964. A oew ot-
tempt to tockle tbe tbeme lo comptebeoslve fosbloo coo be foooJ lo Ioy Moolce Moloot & ltook voJ-
votko, Sensory ueslgn, Mlooeopolls. uolvetslty of Mlooesoto ltess, 2004. Notewottby ls tbe foct tbot o
5eosoty 1tost bos beeo estobllsbeJ. (www.seosotyttost.otq.ok)
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lnLroducLlon - 23
rences ln sensory percepLlon, and many are concelved speclflcally as exLenslons of marke-
Llng sLraLegles for consumer goods and experlences. A growlng number of Lhe ob[ecLs LhaL
surround us are deslgned wlLh a speclal emphasls on Lhelr sensual characLerlsLlcs. ln Lhe
fleld of communlcaLlon of absLracL lnformaLlon, for example, Saul Wurman's lnformaLlon
deslgn
28
has been superseded by new research LhaL focuses on mulLl-sensory deslgn, lnLro-
duclng Lhe aspecLs of sound and Louch as well.
29
1hls lnLeresL ls currenLly even lnfluenclng
Lhe deslgn of vlrLual envlronmenLs.
AL a momenL when sensory markeLlng, purveyors of Lhe experlence economy, and Lhe prac-
Llce of mulLl-sensory deslgn, noL Lo menLlon Lhe cruclal lnvesLlgaLlons of conLemporary
arLlsLs, seem Lo be devoLlng so much aLLenLlon Lo sensorlal experlence, lL ls paradoxlcal Lo
flnd LhaL Lhe urban envlronmenL remalns unLouched by Lhls sorL of conslderaLlon.
cbotoctet, otmospbete, ooJ seosotlol otboolsm
CrlLlcal Lhlnklng ln Lhls conLexL ls no longer drlven by language, semloLlcs, LexL, and slgns, buL
by a redlscovery of phenomenology, experlence, Lhe body, percepLlons, and Lhe senses. 1hls
sensorlal revoluLlon" has been maLched ln archlLecLure and urbanlsm by a redlscovery of
Lhe elemenL of cbotoctet.
30
AssoclaLed wlLh a parLlcular place, Lhe Lerm characLer lndlcaLes
lLs speclflclLy, aL Lhe same Llme lL does noL refer Lo an excluslvely vlsual condlLlon, buL em-
braces all Lhe varlous sensory experlences LhaL one can have ln a place. As far back as Lhe
1970s, kevln Lynch
31
and ChrlsLlan norberg-Schulz relnLroduced Lhls Lheme lnLo Lhelr reflec-
Llons on Lhe urban envlronmenL. ln parLlcular, norberg-Schulz descrlbed place as a LoLal"
quallLaLlve phenomenon, maklng use of expresslons llke envlronmenLal characLer" and
aLmosphere."
32

lL ls preclsely Lhls lasL Lerm whlch ls lncreaslngly belng used Lo descrlbe Lhe envlronmenLal
quallLles of a place.
33
CernoL 8hme has porLrayed otmospbete as an almosL ob[ecLlve con-
dlLlon. lL lmplles Lhe physlcal presence of Lhe sub[ecL and Lhe ob[ecL, lL focuses aLLenLlon on
place, and above all, lL presupposes a sensory experlence. 8hme has observed LhaL sen-
sory percepLlon as opposed Lo [udgmenL ls rehablllLaLed ln aesLheLlcs, and Lhe Lerm 'aesLhe-
Llc' ls resLored Lo lLs orlglnal meanlng, namely Lhe Lheory of percepLlon."
34
?eL lL ls noL [usL a
quesLlon of developlng a new senslLlvlLy. As 8elnhard knodL has polnLed ouL, speclflc exper-
Llse ls also necessary, an experLlse LhaL ls exLended Lo Lhe pracLlcal fleld Lhrough Lhe work of
arLlsLs, archlLecLs, clLy planners, or landscape deslgners.
33
ln esLabllshlng a "sensorlal clLy
plannlng" LhaL ls capable of deflnlng Lhe characLer and aLmosphere of places, lL ls necessary
Lo avold a pracLlce based, once agaln, on vlslon. 1he dlsclpllne of landscape deslgn cannoL

28. 5ee klcbotJ 5ool wotmoo, lnformaLlon ArchlLecLs, New otk. Ctopbls ltess, 1996
29. keltb v. Nesbltt, Modelllng Lhe MulLl-Sensory ueslgn Space, lo letet oJes & 1lm lottlsoo, eJs.,
Aosttolloo 5ymposlom oo lofotmotloo vlsoollzotloo, coofeteoces lo keseotcb ooJ ltoctlce lo lofotmotloo
1ecbooloqy 9, 5lJoey. Aosttolloo compotet 5oclety, 2001
J0. 5ee tbe eotty fot cotottete lo loclooo 5emetool, eJ., ulzlonarlo crlLlco lllusLraLo delle vocl plu uLlll
all'archlLeLLo moderno, veolce. looJozlooe Aoqelo Mosletl & loeozo. Jlzlooe cll, 199J, ooJ fot cbo-
toctet lo AJtloo lotty, A vocabulary of Modern ArchlLecLure, looJoo. 1bomes ooJ noJsoo, 2000
J1. kevlo lyocb, 1he lmage of Lhe ClLy, combtlJqe, Moss.. Ml1 ltess, 1960
J2. cbtlstloo Notbetq-5cbolz, Ceolos locl. 1owotJs o lbeoomeooloqy of Atcbltectote, New otk. klzzoll,
1984, fltst pobllsbeJ lo ltolloo, os Cenlus locl: aesagglo, amblenLe, archlLeLLura, ttoos. Aooo Motlo
Notbetq-5cbolz, Mlloo. lecto, 1979
JJ. Oo tbe tbe ose of tbe tetm otmospbete lo otcbltectote ooJ clty ploooloq, see konsLrukLlon von
ALmospharen, uolJolos 68, 1998
J4. Cetoot 8obme, ALmosphere as an AesLheLlc ConcepL, uolJolos 68, 1998, 114. 5ee olso bls ALmos-
phare: Lssays zur neuen sLheLlk, ltookfott-om-Molo. 5obtkomp, 1995, ooJ AnmuLungen, uber das
ALmospharlsche, OstfllJeto. Jltloo 1ettlom, 1998.
J5. kelobotJ kooJt, Atmospboteo, lo sLheLlsche korrespondenzen: uenken lm Lechnlschen 8aum,
5tottqott. lblllpp keclom, joo., 1994
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26 - 2nd lnLernaLlonal Congress on Amblances, MonLreal 2012
help ln Lhls regard, for lL, Loo, llke archlLecLure and clLy plannlng, ls domlnaLed by Lhe eye.
unforLunaLely, as lnakl balos polnLs ouL, Lrue plcLuresque lnvenLlon - ln whlch places have
a volce and speak Lo us, Lelllng us whaL Lhey expecL Lo become, whaL Lhey need or do noL
need - has developed ... as pure appearances, as cosmeLlcs."
36

Accordlng Lo kengo kuma, Lhere ls anoLher, non-vlsual pracLlce Lo whlch we can Lurn for
reference ln Lhls regard: 1he pracLlce of gardenlng provldes us wlLh many hlnLs and glves us
Lhe courage."
37
ln facL, lL ls noL [usL a maLLer of reduclng our dependence on vlslon and
lnLroduclng rlcher condlLlons of percepLlon, Lhere ls also Lhe need Lo make manlfesL LhaL
LoLallLy called ploce."
38
1he gardener ls always ln Lhe garden, he ls pracLlcally lLs prlsoner.
1here belng no dlsLance beLween hlm and Lhe garden, he cannoL manlpulaLe lL vlsually from
Lhe ouLslde, as a landscape deslgner would do. Pe ls forever occupled wlLh waLerlng, rld-
dlng planLs of bugs, weedlng and replanLlng, and Lhe garden would cease Lo exlsL lf he
sLopped... 1here ls no Lemporal polot where a goal ls reached and compleLlon ls achleved.
1here ls no compleLlon for a garden."
39

We have Lo flnd a dlfferenL way of Lalklng abouL, descrlblng, and plannlng our clLles LhaL
suggesL Lhlnklng of Lhem as places for our bodles (and our souls),
40
remember how muLable
ls our way of percelvlng Lhe urban envlronmenL, consLrucL a hlsLory of Lhe changes ln Lhe
WesLern clLy from new polnLs of vlew LhaL have been hlLherLo neglecLed, ln addlLlon, we
need Lo dlscover Lhe posslblllLles provlded by Lhe urban envlronmenL ln lLs varlous aspecLs -
Lhose of sound, smell, Louch, vlslon, and cllmaLe - and Lo look aL Lhem ln new ways.
1he physlcal urban envlronmenL, desplLe Lhe lmpoverlshmenL Lo whlch lL ls currenLly sub-
[ecL, ls ln facL a vlLal parL of our human experlence. As !oseph 8ykwerL polnLs ouL, Lhe se-
ducLlon of place sLlll exlsLs, and Lhe spread of cyberspace wlll noL be able Lo subsLlLuLe for
Lhe funcLlons of Lhe Langlble publlc realm."
41
Cn Lhe conLrary, lL ls preclsely Lhe expanslon
of Lhe vlrLual, globally connecLed world LhaL renders speclflc places lncreaslngly appeallng
and Lhus lmporLanL. 1he facL LhaL accesslblllLy ls no longer Lhe dlscrlmlnaLlng facLor makes
Lhe oLher quallLles of a place fundamenLal Lo lLs ablllLy Lo aLLracL.
42

1hus aLmosphere, characLer, and sensorlal quallLles are becomlng key facLors ln Lhe deflnl-
Llon of a place, even from an economlc perspecLlve. All Lhe more reason for us Lo demand
LhaL Lhls aLLenLlon be Lurned Lo publlc places, and Lo urban spaces ln general. ls lL posslble Lo
comblne Lhe dlfferenL approaches Lo conLemporary urbanlsm wlLh a sensorlal urbanlsm,"
capable of offerlng a broader undersLandlng of urban seLLlngs, lnLeresLed ln descrlblng Lhe
characLer and aLmosphere of places, and almlng Lo conLrlbuLe Lo a new deflnlLlon of publlc
space?


J6. lokl Abolos, Metomotfosl plttotesco, lo MeLamorph, locus, cotoloqoe of tbe 9
tb
lotetootloool xbl-
bltloo of Atcbltectote, veolce. veolce 8leooole, 2004, 147. oqllsb eJltloo, llctotespoe Metomotpbosls,
lo Metomotpb, locos, vectots, 1tojectotles, eJs. kott w. lotstet & N. 8oltzet, veolce. Motslllo, 2004
J7. keoqo komo, Cardenlng vs. ArchlLecLure, lo lotos lotetootloool 97, Iooe 1998, 46-49
J8. komo, Cardenlng vs. ArchlLecLure, 49
J9. komo, Cardenlng vs. ArchlLecLure, 49
40. lt ls wottbwblle to teteoJ some of Iomes nlllmoo's wtltloqs oo tbe clty. 5ee lo pottlcolot ClLy and
Soul, uollos. ceotet fot clvlc leoJetsblp, uolvetslty of uollos, 1978.
41. Iosepb kykwett, 1he SeducLlon of lace: 1he PlsLory and luLure of Lhe ClLy, 2
oJ
eJ., New otk. vlo-
toqe 8ooks, 2002, 159
42. wllllom I. Mltcbell, 1be keveoqe of lloce, lo kestet kotteoboty, eJ., 1hls ls noL ArchlLecLure: Medla
ConsLrucLlons, looJoo & New otk. kootleJqe, 2002, 45-5J. lo tbls coooectloo, see olso ltoools Ascbet,
MeLapolls ou l'avenlr des vllles, lotls. Jltloos OJlle Iocob, 1995, 26J.
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