ABSTRACT
Atmospheres may be designed. Spaces are orchestrated according to scale, objects are shaped and placed, lights and sounds arranged and surface textures meticulously selected in order to provide urban areas under redevelopment with the desired vibe. Yet no designer is in control of the appearance of an atmosphere as it emerges. Atmospheres assume an ontological starting point that recognises feelings as something that flourishes ‘in the air’ to be jointly embodied and culturally inflected. Sometimes urban designers speak about ‘the public realm’ or ‘the life between the buildings’, but atmosphere offers a different lens through which to also attend to the invisible and immaterial experienced value (not effect) of urban design. For atmospheres concern feelings that are less easy to observe, pinpoint and register objectively, yet they are not of private subjective concern. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
