Urban planners and engineers need to consider how people will move through and interact with the built environment and with each other; and how they will utilise the spaces designed for them. Crowd circulation modelling enables designers to assess the suitability of their proposals in relation to crowd congestion, safety and management.
The quality of the pedestrian environment is very important in providing a positive impression of a town centre or cityscape. Through the forecasting of movement and activity patterns (based on observation data), Buro Happold’s people movement consultancy provides the design team with quantitative results they can use to improve the appeal and functionality of public spaces.
Accurate modelling provides a basis from which to assess potential risks and implement counter measures to negative factors such as poor access, fear of crime, inadequate parking facilities and lack of signage. Because people are fundamental to the creation of vibrant public spaces, pedestrian monitoring can be used to evaluate whether urban masterplans achieve the aims of sustainability and inclusive access.
In order to influence the urban design in advance of development we look at the factors that influence human behaviour in ‘crowd movement’ scenarios. Our models take into account key factors such as the physical layout of streets and squares, conflicting people flows, land use patterns, public transport accessibility and ‘gathering’ points such entrances to buildings and shopping precincts.
Free and easy circulation of people through the urban landscape is not only an issue of pedestrian comfort, but also one of safety. Despite the growth of mechanised transport, walking still accounts for over 80% of all journeys made under a mile in length. To make cities more ‘walking friendly’, our urban designers use evidence from flow models to locate crossing facilities at points of busiest pedestrian movement.
In the wider built environment, Buro Happold’s crowd flow management capability has been applied to optimise circulation in places as diverse as sports arenas and hospitals, schools, museums and shopping centres. As well as enhancing people comfort and safe navigation, modelling can maximise commercial potential by revealing the effect of design changes on footfall and visitor activity.
