Smell and Sound Expectation and the Ambiances of English Cities

This paper examines the role of expectation of two different aspects of urban ambiance (smell and sound), on people’s experiences and perceptions of urban environments. It draws from two separate sensewalking studies of English cities. The first, examining expectations of odor in Doncaster, Manchester, Sheffield and London: the second, expectations of soundscapes in Manchester and London. In drawing from these investigations, sensory expectations are found highly influential in urban place experience and perception, providing different layers of meaning and understanding of place. Furthermore, perceptions of odors and sounds themselves (their detection and mental processing) are also revealed as influenced by the environmental context within which they are, or are not, detected.