PSRG Sponsored Training Event Accepted for WUF 12 in Cairo on November 7th, from 9am-12pm in Multipurpose Room 14. Director Setha Low along with PSRG member Nehal Amer will run a training on “sensing the city”. Members of the PSRG who register for WUF can attend in person or through the live recording on the website/app.

Session title: Sensing the City New ways of understanding public space through photography, mapping, soundscapes, attachment, and feeling

Session time: 07.11.2024 | 9:00 - 12:00 (Cairo time) 

Location: Multipurpose Room 14 

Session Summary:

Each time people move through their towns and cities, they are inundated by sensory input that shapes perceptions of place. This training event addresses these sensory elements since they play a key function in transforming the experiential qualities of spaces and in shaping the public realm, strengthening the connection between people and the place. Methods for studying the five senses of visual, touch, sound, smell, and taste as well as mapping, and participant observation will be covered.

Case studies from Kathmandu, New York City, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Nairobi illustrate how using photography; mapping of behavior, sound, and smell; recording affective atmospheres; and sensory walks promote identity, belonging, and place attachment often lost with other methods. Breakout groups of trainees will practice the methods, recording sensory data at the conference center and return to discuss the use, challenges, and problems of applying of these “sensing the city” methods.