A post on Ars Technica digs into the complicated world of pedestrian modeling and identifies a culprit in the problems with existing models: indecisive people.
Chris Lee introduces the research of Alessandro Corbetta, from the Technical University of Eindhoven, into the difficulties of creating reliable models for pedestrian behavior.
The problem:
Unfortunately, pedestrian models are not very well tested against data. Most experiments involve paying university students to walk along corridors and through doors under highly artificial conditions. In part, this is because it has been very difficult to obtain data from natural settings, where you need to track individual pedestrians as they walk through some area of interest.
The solution:
Corbetta set [Kinect] cameras up in two locations: the main thoroughfare at Eindhoven train station and a link corridor between one of the university buildings and the nearest cafeteria. From there, he recorded data for a year.
Corbetta's findings after crunching the quarter of a million trajectories he discovered during the experiment revealed some of the behavior that makes pedestrian modeling so difficult. Namely, that some people change their minds en route, and turn around. The article goes into more detail about how Corbetta accounted for their indecision for the ongoing project of building reliable pedestrian models.
FULL STORY: Models of pedestrian flow stumble because people change their minds
Study Measures 150 Miles of Informal Footpaths in Detroit, Explores Their Larger Importance
A new study by researchers at Illinois State University and the University of Michigan measured the informal footpaths—also known as "desire lines"—of Detroit.
A 'Curious' New Report on Pedestrian Behavior in Public Spaces
The Seattle Department of Transportation recently released its first-ever public life study.
No Safe Options Mean Pedestrians Engage in Risky Behavior
Pedestrians are often blamed first for accidents, but they have few choices when the infrastructure is lacking, a new study shows.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
