{"id":211033,"date":"2026-03-31T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/?p=211033"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:47:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:47:39","slug":"unlikely-perspectives-maria-jose-visconti-when-a-citys-scents-strengthen-a-sense-of-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/en\/news\/unlikely-perspectives-maria-jose-visconti-when-a-citys-scents-strengthen-a-sense-of-belonging\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlikely Perspectives: Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, When a City\u2019s Scents Strengthen a Sense of Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The \u201cUnlikely&nbsp;Perspectives\u201d&nbsp;series&nbsp;shines&nbsp;a spotlight on&nbsp;unusual,&nbsp;thought-provoking&nbsp;research&nbsp;topics.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n    \n<div class=\"wp-block full-width-image \">\n    <div class=\"image-ctn\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Visconti.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n    <p>Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, a\u00a0research\u00a0professional\u00a0at INRS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Have&nbsp;you&nbsp;ever&nbsp;noticed&nbsp;how certain&nbsp;smells&nbsp;are&nbsp;associated&nbsp;with&nbsp;a city or a&nbsp;neighbourhood? This observation&nbsp;sparked&nbsp;the work of Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, a&nbsp;research&nbsp;professional&nbsp;at INRS,&nbsp;who&nbsp;studies&nbsp;the&nbsp;link&nbsp;between&nbsp;olfactory&nbsp;perception and the&nbsp;development&nbsp;of a&nbsp;sense&nbsp;of&nbsp;belonging&nbsp;to&nbsp;spaces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen&nbsp;we&nbsp;describe&nbsp;an&nbsp;urban&nbsp;area,&nbsp;we&nbsp;tend to&nbsp;say&nbsp;whether&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;clean,&nbsp;beautiful, or quiet\u2014in&nbsp;other&nbsp;words,&nbsp;we&nbsp;describe&nbsp;it&nbsp;through&nbsp;sight&nbsp;or&nbsp;sound.&nbsp;We&nbsp;rarely&nbsp;use&nbsp;smell, or, if&nbsp;we&nbsp;do,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;often&nbsp;to&nbsp;evoke&nbsp;negative&nbsp;associations,\u201d the&nbsp;researcher&nbsp;notes. Cigarettes,&nbsp;traffic, and air pollution are the first&nbsp;things&nbsp;that&nbsp;come to&nbsp;mind.&nbsp;Research&nbsp;in&nbsp;urban&nbsp;studies&nbsp;does&nbsp;not&nbsp;always&nbsp;escape&nbsp;this&nbsp;bias. \u201cMy&nbsp;research&nbsp;aims&nbsp;in part to&nbsp;deconstruct&nbsp;this&nbsp;negative&nbsp;perception of&nbsp;smell, by&nbsp;reminding&nbsp;people&nbsp;that&nbsp;there&nbsp;are&nbsp;plenty&nbsp;of positive&nbsp;smells&nbsp;in the city.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-olfactory-nbsp-identity-the-dna-of-a-city-nbsp\">Olfactory&nbsp;identity, the DNA of a city&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSmells are part of a place\u2019s identity and constitute its olfactory heritage,\u201d continues Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti. She will thus analyze the smells unique to each neighborhood: those of plants and parks, those associated with commercial activities, or even those of grocery stores and restaurants in neighborhoods known for their international communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This olfactory landscape plays a direct role in shaping the urban environment, the researcher explains. \u201cSince the perception of each scent is tied to an individual experience, we can say that the city, through its scents, is experienced differently by each person. Smell can therefore act as a vector for a very personal attachment to a place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;galleryId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf424315&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/gallery\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf42816d&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a97adf42816d\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"211025\" src=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Villeray_MJV_24oct2024-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-211025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Villeray_MJV_24oct2024-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Villeray_MJV_24oct2024-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Villeray_MJV_24oct2024-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Villeray_MJV_24oct2024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf4284fe&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a97adf4284fe\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"211027\" src=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/LilasMTL_MJV_17mai2023-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-211027\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/LilasMTL_MJV_17mai2023-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/LilasMTL_MJV_17mai2023-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/LilasMTL_MJV_17mai2023-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/LilasMTL_MJV_17mai2023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While people may initially choose to settle in a neighborhood for its community or local amenities, she points out that smells play a role. \u201cBeyond these initial, very concrete decision-making factors, we see that smells and atmosphere overlap in a highly complementary way. Smells are the invisible witnesses to the urban atmosphere and the emotions associated with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples: the smell of warm bread wafting from the corner bakery; the smells of barbecues emanating from a park during the summer season; the scents of flowers and herbs in community planters placed on the sidewalks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During her master\u2019s degree in urban studies at INRS, Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti spoke with fourteen people, whom she followed through the streets and alleys of Montreal in pursuit of their daily, cherished scents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis led to extraordinary encounters that allowed us to understand how people experience spaces in ways that are at once individual, cultural, and collective through the scents they perceive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-scents-a-springboard-for-improving-city-life\">Scents: A Springboard for Improving City Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In conclusion, Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti highlights the opportunities her work has opened up: engaging with urban planners and municipalities to improve the urban experience through design, while avoiding certain blind spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOften, we imagine the city as an alienating, chaotic space, but there is a way to make spaces more comfortable and welcoming. Odors clearly play a role in these positive sensations,\u201d observes the INRS student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, scientific research has already shown that negative olfactory perceptions trigger a physical reaction in humans and prompt vigilance. Instinctively, unpleasant odors are interpreted by the body as potential sources of threat. Following this same logic, positively perceived scents have a direct link to a sense of well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;galleryId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf428ff3&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/gallery\" class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf42929a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a97adf42929a\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"211024\" src=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parc_MTL_MJV_15oct2021-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-211024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parc_MTL_MJV_15oct2021-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parc_MTL_MJV_15oct2021-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parc_MTL_MJV_15oct2021-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parc_MTL_MJV_15oct2021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a97adf42962a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a97adf42962a\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"211026\" src=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcheJT_MTL_MJV_30sep2023-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-211026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcheJT_MTL_MJV_30sep2023-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcheJT_MTL_MJV_30sep2023-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcheJT_MTL_MJV_30sep2023-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/inrs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcheJT_MTL_MJV_30sep2023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researcher suggests, in particular, taking allergies into account when selecting plant species and designing parks, using specific materials for street furniture\u2014such as wood, which interacts with rain and releases a comforting scent\u2014or installing fountains to create mineral-based scents. All these details, when it comes to urban planning decisions, could have a direct impact on increasing residents\u2019 sense of well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-researcher-profile\">Researcher Profile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti is a researcher with the interuniversity network <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vrm.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Villes R\u00e9gions Monde<\/a>. She is completing her master\u2019s degree in urban studies at INRS under the supervision of <a href=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/en\/research\/professors\/sandra-breux\/\">Sandra Breux<\/a> and holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umontreal.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al<\/a> in professional writing and applied communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have\u00a0you\u00a0ever\u00a0noticed\u00a0how certain smells\u00a0are\u00a0associated\u00a0with\u00a0a city or a\u00a0neighbourhood? This observation\u00a0sparked\u00a0the work of Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, a research professional at INRS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":211029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2113],"tags":[],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-211033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-unlikely-perspectives"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Unlikely Perspectives: Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, When a City\u2019s Scents Strengthen a Sense of Belonging | INRS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/inrs.ca\/en\/news\/unlikely-perspectives-maria-jose-visconti-when-a-citys-scents-strengthen-a-sense-of-belonging\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unlikely Perspectives: Maria Jos\u00e9 Visconti, When a City\u2019s Scents Strengthen a Sense of Belonging\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have\u00a0you\u00a0ever\u00a0noticed\u00a0how certain smells\u00a0are\u00a0associated\u00a0with\u00a0a city or a\u00a0neighbourhood? 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