Kate McLean-MacKenzie is creating an atlas to document how places smell.
The University of Kent researcher says smell is a neglected sense in how we record the world.
While images and sounds are easily shared, smells are rarely captured or communicated.
This gap led her to begin mapping “smellscapes” more than 15 years ago.
Her work involves guided “smell walks” through cities.
Participants record scents, their strength, duration, and emotional associations.
McLean-MacKenzie then turns the data into visual maps and cultural narratives.
The results reflect subjective human experiences rather than objective measurements.
More than 40 locations have been mapped, including Paris, Kyiv, Kolkata and Glasgow.
Some participants describe scents poetically, such as “the smell of shattered dreams”.
The maps capture fleeting moments, shaped by weather, place and time.
They may also serve as historical records as cities change in the future.
McLean-MacKenzie hopes the atlas encourages people to engage more deeply with their surroundings.
She says understanding others’ sensory experiences can build empathy and awareness.
