Not everybody attending the conference „Planung in der Status Quo Gesellschaft. Ist Wandel möglich“ (by ARL and DASL, 22.1.2016 in Dortmund) was convinced by Prof. Heinz Bude´s contribution to the debate on changes in society and how planners can influence processes of transformation. I found his talk on atmospheres intriguing, because Bude presented a way to frame the complexity of change. His definition of atmosphere (German: Stimmung) differs from what Gernot Böhme would call atmosphere, but one thing they have in common: Atmosphere is fluid, sometimes unpredictably and planners and designers of urban landscapes are well advised to sense these atmospheres carefully.