The movement of pedestrian crowds is a paradigmatic example for emergent behaviour, where the interactions between many individuals give rise to the observed dynamics. Plotting the average pedestrian speed against the density of pedestrian crowds yields what is commonly called the fundamental diagram that is widely considered to be important for understanding pedestrian dynamics. In this talk, I will critically discuss the unified theory implied by the concept of a fundamental diagram. You can expect to hear about theoretical models, data, bull runs, and pedestrians being lifted off their feet.
A seminar organised by the Centre for Complexity Science.