Affective roadscapes and beyond

Abstract This article explores how roadscapes are affectively shaped for multiple purposes, with particular attention to chronotopic productions of specific types of affect in relation to traffic signage. Through an analysis of photographed traffic signs, which are complemented by ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews, it presents a case study of Mudu, China, focusing on chronotopes of affect that construct and constitute it into an affective space. The analysis identifies three distinctive types of affect — familial love, considerateness, and intolerance — that are co-existing and synthesized into coherent affective regimes within chronotopic configurations of traffic signage. Findings reveal that affective roadscapes serve not only as mechanisms for traffic regulation, but as strategic tools for value promotion and place branding. This study contributes to the interdisciplinary dialogue at the intersection of Linguistic Landscape studies, affect theory, and tourism studies, offering new insights into how public signage mediates affective experience and facilitates the spatial commodification in tourist contexts.