Dr Kate McLean-MacKenzie, a designer and researcher at the University of Kent, is mapping how cities smell.
She believes scent is a missing sense in how people record and share their experiences.
For more than a decade, she has led “smell walks” in cities around the world.
Participants document what they smell, how strong it is, and the memories it triggers.
The results become visual maps and cultural stories rather than scientific measurements.
Cities mapped include Paris, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Kolkata and Kyiv.
McLean-MacKenzie says smells reveal hidden narratives about daily life and place.
One participant even described stale beer on New York pavements as “the smell of shattered dreams”.
The atlas captures fleeting moments, like impressionist snapshots of scent.
She hopes it will serve as a historical record as cities change over time.
McLean-MacKenzie also wants people to notice how differently others experience the same space.
She says engaging with smell can deepen understanding, curiosity and tolerance.
