Dr Kate McLean-MacKenzie is creating an atlas to capture the world’s urban “smellscapes”.
The designer and researcher at the University of Kent has studied smell for more than 15 years.
She was struck by how easily images and sounds are shared, while smells are rarely recorded.
Her response was to map scents in cities using guided “smell walks”.
Participants document what they smell, how strong it is, how long it lasts, and what it evokes.
McLean-MacKenzie turns this subjective data into visual maps and cultural stories.
The atlas now covers 40 locations, including Glasgow, Paris, Kyiv, Kolkata, and New York.
Some descriptions are poetic, such as one New Yorker’s “smell of shattered dreams”.
The maps capture fleeting moments, shaped by wind, place, and time.
They may become historical records as cities change, for example with electric vehicles.
McLean-MacKenzie hopes the work encourages people to notice their surroundings more fully.
She says understanding how others smell places can build empathy and awareness.
