CitySenZ

CA23145

Dessine-moi une ambiance

Architectural and Urban Ambiances of European Cities
Conference Series of Cost Action CA23145

Ambiance is an enigma. It belongs to a lesser, spectral mode of existence that resists any fixed definition. Rather than seeking to define it once and for all, we prefer to approach it through its powers, effects and uses. In arguing for a strong version of ambiance, the aim is to show how it contributes to sensitize the world. Ambiance weaves the very fabric of sensitivity. It has the power to intensify and transform our relationship with the world. Various perspectives will be sketched out to question the modus operandi of ambiance and identify the contemporary issues it faces.

Jean-Paul Thibaud is a sociologist. He is currently an honorary researcher and associate member of the CRESSON laboratory in Grenoble, France.

Before retiring, he was senior researcher at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research).

He founded the International Ambiances Network (www.ambiances.net) and co-founded the journal Ambiances.

His research focuses on the theory of urban ambiances, contemporary sensibilities to socio-ecological issues, the anthropology of sound, ordinary perception in urban environments, the sensitive ethnography of public spaces, and in situ methodologies.

Jean-Paul Thibaud has published numerous articles and books, particularly on ambiances. Among these: En quête d’ambiances. Éprouver la ville en passant, published in 2015 by MetisPresses.

His latest book, to be published in September 2025 by Routledge, is entitled Ambiances. A Sensitivity to Ordinary Situations, co-edited with Nicolas Tixier and David Zerbib.

SCHEDULE

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2. Workshop & Training School

30 June – 2 July 2025

Objectives

Led by Prof. John Levack Drever (Goldsmiths, University of London – Otoloci), the workshop brought together twelve early‑career researchers and innovators (< 40 years old) to map definitions and approaches to ambiance across disciplines, cultures, and traditions. Results will be presented during the conference.

Call for Papers Closed

Shaping the Future Living Places

Act 1. Defining Architectural and Urban Ambiances

Workshop & Training School: 30 June – 2 July 2025

International Conference: 3 – 4 July 2025

Lusófona University, Lisbon (Portugal)

As today’s societal challenges grow increasingly complex, the notion of ambiance has become an essential lens for understanding how the sensory, cultural, and spatial dimensions of the built environment shape human experience. This first milestone of the COST programme CitySenZ CA23145 – Architectural and Urban Ambiances of European Cities seeks to refine Ambiance Theory and feed its insights back to architects, urban planners, and spatial designers.

1. International Conference

3 – 4 July  2025

Submission Tracks

We welcomed proposals that address, among others, the following themes:

State of the art in Ambiance Theory

Multimodal in‑situ observation

Disciplinary contributions & inter‑/transdisciplinary approaches

Measuring and modelling ambiances

Defining an ambiance, data collection/archiving, terminological coherence, innovation scouting, dissemination & training