Cities are made from more than buildings and roads. They are also made by ambiences – how a city makes you feel
Type
News Clipping
Authors
Category
Article
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Publication Year
2022
Publisher
The Conversation, Australia
URL
[ private ]
Abstract
How does a city feel? Energetic, unnerving, invigorating, relaxing?
This is a key question often asked by designers who consider the ambience of a city.
Typically, when we think of a city we jump straight to thinking about its buildings, roads, shops and parklands: the physical things we are surrounded by. But what about all those invisible things in between?
When we speak of ambience, we think of the city in a very different way. We think of the city from the position of our own sensing body. The light that enters our eyes; the sounds that enter our ears; the wind and radiation that touches our skin; the tastes and smells in the air; even the vibrations that pass through us (think of passing trams, and even Earthquakes!).
Each of us is suspended in these ever-shifting mediums, with our perceptions reshaping our world, moment by moment.
Ambient encounters
It is very subtle, this thing called ambience. But you can be sure there is a reason your body draws you back to the same place again and again. It’s not simply habit, it is also the ways a place makes our body feel.
Do you have a quiet place you disappear to at lunchtime? A place in a park or a quiet back alley? These are places of refuge in which the senses are less overwhelmed, allowing us to sink into our thoughts...
This is a key question often asked by designers who consider the ambience of a city.
Typically, when we think of a city we jump straight to thinking about its buildings, roads, shops and parklands: the physical things we are surrounded by. But what about all those invisible things in between?
When we speak of ambience, we think of the city in a very different way. We think of the city from the position of our own sensing body. The light that enters our eyes; the sounds that enter our ears; the wind and radiation that touches our skin; the tastes and smells in the air; even the vibrations that pass through us (think of passing trams, and even Earthquakes!).
Each of us is suspended in these ever-shifting mediums, with our perceptions reshaping our world, moment by moment.
Ambient encounters
It is very subtle, this thing called ambience. But you can be sure there is a reason your body draws you back to the same place again and again. It’s not simply habit, it is also the ways a place makes our body feel.
Do you have a quiet place you disappear to at lunchtime? A place in a park or a quiet back alley? These are places of refuge in which the senses are less overwhelmed, allowing us to sink into our thoughts...
Description
https://theconversation.com/cities-are-made-from-more-than-buildings-and-roads-they-are-also-made-by-ambiences-how-a-city-makes-you-feel-173429
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