The Projects are not the greatest places to live. Now, thanks to Manhattan-based perfume company International Flavors & Fragrances, they are much worse: The company is flooding a South Bronx public housing project with perfume. To make residents happy!

It is all sort of a field test of the hot new perfume trend of "ambient scenting," wherein entire buildings are sprayed with perfume. A Businessweek reporter accompanied three of the ambient scenters to the Saint Theresa Apartments in the South Bronx, where they explained why spraying the building with a scent called L'Eau Vert du Bronx du Sur
 is not a dumb idea:

By pumping this specially engineered scent into the building's hallways and common areas, the unlikely threesome believes the 200 residents will be infused with optimism and happiness. "The part of your brain that senses scent can allow you to feel really bad about what you see in front of you-or really good-depending on what it is," she explains. "The question is: How do you evoke a certain feeling without imposing on people in any way?"

Yes, this is probably the best thing for these low-income residents and not creepy at all! Why are we even spending money on social programs or public education when we can just scent the problems out of peoples' lives?

(via Daily Intel)