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Self-Organizing Pedestrian Movement

Author

Listed:
  • Dirk Helbing

    (Institute for Economics and Traffic, University of Technology Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany)

  • Péter Molnár

    (Center for Theoretical Studies of Physical Systems, Clark Atlanta University, James P Brawley Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, USA)

  • Illés J Farkas

    (Department of Biological Physics, Eötvös University, Budapest, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1A, H-1117 Hungary)

  • Kai Bolay

    (Tripod Inc., 160 Water St., Williamstown, MA 01267, USA)

Abstract

Although pedestrians have individual preferences, aims, and destinations, the dynamics of pedestrian crowds is surprisingly predictable. Pedestrians can move freely only at small pedestrian densities. Otherwise their motion is affected by repulsive interactions with other pedestrians, giving rise to self-organization phenomena. Examples of the resulting patterns of motion are separate lanes of uniform walking direction in crowds of oppositely moving pedestrians or oscillations of the passing direction at bottlenecks. If pedestrians leave footprints on deformable ground (for example, in green spaces such as public parks) this additionally causes attractive interactions which are mediated by modifications of their environment. In such cases, systems of pedestrian trails will evolve over time. The corresponding computer simulations are a valuable tool for developing optimized pedestrian facilities and way systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Dirk Helbing & Péter Molnár & Illés J Farkas & Kai Bolay, 2001. "Self-Organizing Pedestrian Movement," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 28(3), pages 361-383, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:28:y:2001:i:3:p:361-383
    DOI: 10.1068/b2697
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Timmermans, Harry & van der Hagen, Xavier & Borgers, Aloys, 1992. "Transportation systems, retail environments and pedestrian trip chaining behaviour: Modelling issues and applications," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 45-59, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hu, Yanghui & Zhang, Jun & Song, Weiguo, 2019. "Experimental study on the movement strategies of individuals in multidirectional flows," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 534(C).

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