Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
The Definitive Gowanus Smell Map
By
Miranda Katz
Published Feb 25, 2016
Modified Feb 25, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
team: Annie Barrett, principal; Lucas Bucknavage and Grey Wartinger, designers
By
Miranda Katz
Published Feb 25, 2016
Modified Feb 25, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It's no secret that the toxic sludge- and poop-filled Gowanus Canal has something of a signature stench. But now a team of researchers has mapped the scents that permeate the surrounding neighborhood, differentiating between "negative manmade smells," "pleasing manmade smells," and "organic smells"—for art.
As part of a design contest organized by urban design advocacy group Gowanus by Design, a team of researchers spent three days over the summer (peak stench season) walking around the neighborhood doing some intentional sniffing, noting and categorizing the smells they encountered at various locations.
Their conclusions? The most offensive, manmade scents cling to the streets around the canal's southern end, where you're likely to encounter the smell of sewage, oil, or garbage, among others. Further inland, and particularly as you move toward 4th Avenue, things take a surprising turn for the pleasant—perhaps the scent of Korean barbecue or fancy pastas? At the northern end, those less offensive scents meet "organic smells" such as salt marsh and earth, which may not be your perfume of choice, but are certainly preferable to the persistent poo smell that afflicts other parts of the area.
The odor map, designed by the Annie Barrett Studio, is on display at the Site:Brooklyn gallery until March 5th along with a sister map that shows Gowanus's litter levels in relation to its very few public trash cans. Unsurprisingly, the most litter-ridden areas seem to correlate with the stinkiest parts of the neighborhood—but what is a bit of a headscratcher is the fact that those areas are the ones that border the neighborhood's token nine trash cans. Maybe an overflow situation.
Annie Barrett Studio (team: Annie Barrett, principal; Lucas Bucknavage and Grey Wartinger, designers)
These maps won second place in the Axis Civitas design contest, which invited entrants to "map and present conditions relevant to the Gowanus area." The competition description notes that as the neighborhood further gentrifies, "the community has been forced to grapple with the conflicting impacts of hazardous subsurface conditions, private development, agency oversight, CSOs, and global warming. The competition is a reaction to these forces and is intended to address the lack of a coherent sustainable urban strategy for this area of Brooklyn."
The first-place winners of the contest examined the microbiome of the bottom of the Gowanus Canal. The competition organizers at Gowanus by Design are hoping to put the maps online and allow the public to contribute their own data. [h/t DNAinfo via Daily Intel]
Tagged
axis civitas
Gowanus
gowanus by design
gowanus canal
map
Miranda Katz
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
There’s a lot to think about in the doll-verse.
By
Quinn Moreland
Published Sep 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
By
Sonia Rao
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .