Odorama: A Smell Map

A team at the University of Minnesota develops innovative maps to stimulate conversation about urban planning.

1 minute read

September 4, 2003, 10:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The university's Design Institute will release "Odorama: A Smell Map" today as part of a quirky initiative to provoke a community conversation about urban life. Funded by a $1-million grant from Target Corp., the project aims to get people thinking about how their cities are designed, how that design affects their lives — and how they can push for better urban planning... A garden map leads to a plot of heirloom tomatoes tended by deaf Hmong immigrants. A spiritual map points to a freshwater spring, sacred to Native Americans, burbling in a grove hung with offerings of dried tobacco. A map devoted to the grain industry traces a path from farm to silo to mill to the fortune cookie factory on Minnehaha Avenue."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Thursday, September 4, 2003 in The Los Angeles Times

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