Crowd Evacuation Planning

A novel approach in crowd evacuation planning: Behavioural intervention

The reaction and preparedness of the individuals involved in public mass emergencies are the most critical factors in determining their survival. Yet, this potential dimension in emergency planning, i.e. enhancing individual preparedness, is often overlooked.

This project presents a major shift from the conventional paradigm that looks at people in crises merely as an obstacle and problem to control. It explores how people themselves can become part of the solution to disaster mitigation by producing more efficient responses to the crisis.

The project's aim is to discover how one can make people in crowds better prepared for self-evacuations by modifying their responses and strategies.

This empirical study will therefore unlock the door to the innovative dimension of behavioural intervention, education and training in evacuation planning.

The findings will become the next important step to discovering optimal individual strategies and developing evidence-based public education guides that can significantly improve community resilience, disaster planning and crowd management practices at international scales.

The outcomes will result in educational guides that will increase public awareness and community preparedness for public emergencies, including terror attacks, fire emergencies and the like.

This is an ARC-funded project under the DECRA scheme. 

For more information, please contact

Dr Milad Haghani
E: milad.haghani@unsw.edu.au