Sensory and Embodied Urban Belonging: A Design-Based Study of an Audio Walk for International Students in Copenhagen
Author
Cai, Yiyi
Term
4. semester
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-25
Abstract
This thesis explores how a sense of belonging—feeling at home in a place—can grow through the ways people move and use their senses in the city. It focuses on international students in Copenhagen connected to Aalborg University Copenhagen. It examines how everyday movement, noticing, and sensory attention can help belonging emerge in unfamiliar urban settings. The study uses a design-based research approach with iterative cycles of designing, testing, and reflecting. As part of this process, an audio walk was developed as an intervention. Through simple guided prompts, the audio walk invites participants to slow down and notice their bodies and surroundings, shifting attention away from routine, task-focused travel. The findings suggest that belonging can emerge not only through social and cultural ties, but also through sensory attention, embodied movement, and the relationship between body and place. Rather than offering a fixed solution, the study shows how design can create conditions for experiences of belonging to arise.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan en følelse af tilhørighed – at føle sig hjemme et sted – kan vokse gennem måden, mennesker bevæger sig og bruger sanserne i byen. Fokus er på internationale studerende i København med tilknytning til Aalborg University Copenhagen. Afhandlingen ser på, hvordan hverdagslige bevægelser, iagttagelse og sanset opmærksomhed kan bidrage til, at tilhørighed opstår i ukendte bymiljøer. Studiet anvender en designbaseret forskningsmetode med gentagne forløb af design, afprøvning og refleksion. Som led heri blev en lydvandring udviklet som en intervention. Med enkle, guidede prompts inviterer lydvandringen deltagerne til at sænke tempoet og lægge mærke til kroppen og omgivelserne, så opmærksomheden flyttes væk fra rutinepræget, opgaveorienteret transport. Resultaterne peger på, at tilhørighed kan opstå ikke kun gennem sociale og kulturelle bånd, men også gennem sanset opmærksomhed, kropslig bevægelse og relationen mellem krop og sted. I stedet for at tilbyde en endelig løsning viser studiet, hvordan design kan skabe betingelser for, at oplevelser af tilhørighed kan opstå.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords