Mega Events and Crowd Evacuation at Tourist Attractions: A Case Study of Souq Waqif using Pedestride Crowd Simulation Tool

Abstract

Evacuating individuals at large gathering places can be achieved safely and efficiently through the detailed understanding of crowd dynamics within a certain location. Souq Waqif is a major tourist attraction in Qatar that is expected to see a sever increase in the number of visitors throughout the FIFA World Cup 2022 period. Due to the complexity of running evacuation drills in public areas, crowd simulation software are commonly used to assess crowd management and control strategies at such locations. The present study is aimed at gauging crowd dynamics in Souq Waqif during both normal and emergency evacuation using Pedestride Crowd Simulation tool. The tool has been developed at Melbourne University, and was validated and calibrated using empirical data collected through real-world observations as well as controlled experiments. The study demonstrated that at increased demands and during emergency evacuation, crowds are likely to take similar routes what leads to a much higher flows towards certain exits. Moreover, the results showed that increasing visitors demands could raise the maximum crowd density to unsafe level of 6 person per square meter at specific gates and junctions. In order to mitigate unfavorable situations such as stampeding in the course of an emergency, dynamic exit signs are proposed to direct crowds to nearest and least occupied exits.