Capturing the Atmosphere of the High Street
High streets don’t just function - they feel. Research by Dr Chloe Steadman and Loretta Lipworth trialled creative and sensory methods (drawing, photography, poetry, soundwalks, smellwalks, sensory participation) to capture atmospheres. Findings show methods must be flexible, weather-aware, and blended. Their guides help place managers embrace emotional, multisensory insights.
The way a high street looks, sounds, smells, feels - and even tastes - creates an emotional impression: one that can feel welcoming and lively, or cold and lifeless. A high street lined with colourful shop frontages and the hum of passing footsteps might feel vibrant, whilst one strewn with litter and chipping paint might evoke feelings of discomfort.
Atmospheres are increasingly designed into our cities, town centres, and high streets through experiential retail, urban design, and events to generate a ‘buzz’ to attract residents, visitors, and investment. High streets which feel more inclusive and vibrant may drive footfall, dwell time and spend, as well as creating more positive place perceptions, sentiment, and communications. There is also growing interest amongst policymakers in measuring people’s emotional connections to place and boosting feelings of ‘pride’.
It is therefore important to understand not just how high streets function, but also how they feel
Trialling creative and sensory method
Atmospheres, however, are dynamic and difficult to pin down. Traditional interviews and questionnaires are not always effective for capturing the emotional feel of place, whilst more innovative methods can sometimes feel daunting to use for the first time. New research by Dr Chloe Steadman and Loretta Lipworth conducted in Altrincham trialled six creative and sensory methods for accessing atmospheres on the high street:
- Drawing and mapping: creating drawings, drawing on printed maps, or drawing personal emotional maps of the high street to creatively express how it feels in different spaces
- Photography: taking photographs using a disposable or digital camera when moving through the high street to capture how the different things you can see makes a high street feel
- Poetry: creating free-form poems or etching out words of sensory texts using erasure poetry to convey emotional experiences on the high street
- Sensory participation: spending time on the high street paying attention to it sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures, and recording how these make the place feel through fieldnotes
- Smellwalk: attuning to the different smells of the high street when moving through it and recording how these odours make the high street feel using smellnotes
- Soundwalk: attuning to the different sounds of the high street when moving through it and recording how these sounds make the high street feel using smellwalk forms or digital recordings.
The research found people have differing and shifting methodological comfort zones, which can impact choice, use, and adaptation of creative and sensory methods. People might choose to stay within their comfort zone by selecting a method they are more used to, or adapt methods so they feel more comfortable to use. These methods are flexible and can be
finetuned for use with different groups and in different contexts.
The research also identified how the weather impacts use of these methods outdoors on rainy or windy days. But the methods can be weather-proofed through digital adaptations, such as recording sounds rather than writing about them with pen and paper.
Finally, these methods can help foreground the sensory and atmospheric qualities of place, which can sometimes fade into the background of people’s busy daily lives. Yet high streets are complex multisensory environments, which can mean sensory overwhelm and distraction can compromise their use, especially on busy days.
Key takeaways for place researchers and managers:
- Menu of methods: when using these methods with high street users, let them choose their own technique from a curated ‘menu’ of methods to empower participants, reduce performance anxiety, and encourage greater engagement with the sensory environment
- Blend methods: atmospheres are said to have ‘hybrid’ and ‘in-between’ qualities. To capture the complexities of atmosphere and ease participant discomfort, blend the representational (e.g. text) and non-representational (e.g. drawings) when designing and using these methods
- Design for weather: consider weather conditions when using these methods in outdoor environments by offering flexible weather-proof formats and designing shelter stops into high street walking tours
Conclusion
Steadman and Lipworth’s research encourages place researchers and managers to not just consider how high streets function, but also how they feel. They reveal how atmospheres are dynamic, multisensory, and deeply embodied, which cannot be fully captured by numbers or metrics alone. They argue we need to embrace more innovative, creative, and
sensory techniques which more fully access atmospheric and emotional complexity, and invite others to try out the above methods in their high street or town centre.
Anyone interested in learning more can read the published paper here.
Practical guides have also been created with tips for using for each method here.
Chloe and Loretta would love to hear from you if you’ve made use of the guides in your own
research, practice, or teaching
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.