Summary

Challenging the dominance of the visual in the urban environment, the exhibition catalogue Sense of the City proposes a re-thinking and re-presenting of the city, and offers a more complex analysis of the qualities, comforts, communication systems, and sensory dimensions of urban life. From darkness and night to urban soundscapes, to the urban air and climate, this book presents a new, "sensorial" approach to urbanism. In defense of public spaces in contemporary cities, writer Cedric Price has observed that "mental, physical, and sensory well-being is required." Included here is a rich collection of images on the different urban themes addressed in the exhibition, along with a series of insightful and critical essays. Contributors include Constance Classen, David Howes, Norman Pressman, Emily Thompson, and Mirko Zardini. Edited by Mirko Zardini. 200 illustrations