Using Pedestrian Simulation to Design Better Facilities
HDR’s William Lin Explains How Understanding How People Move Improves Design and Planning
Whether traveling through an airport terminal or rail station, people’s movement patterns have a significant impact on safety, accessibility and the overall user experience. Per-square-foot calculations can help assess whether a space is sized to accommodate projected passenger volumes, but they provide only part of the picture. The latest installment of HDR’s Experts Talk interview series explores how pedestrian simulation provides a more detailed understanding of how people will move through an environment under different operating conditions or hypothetical scenarios.
HDR’s William Lin, P.Eng., is a rail and systems engineer who has worked with transit, aviation and institutional clients across North America to create facilities that work better for the people who use them every day.
In this interview, Lin examines how pedestrian simulation models replicate human behavior allowing planners and designers to create a digital representation of a real-world piece of infrastructure before it’s built or modified. Rather than estimating whether a platform, corridor or waiting area has adequate static capacity, the simulation can help identify where congestion occurs, how bottlenecks form and how design changes affect the user experience.
“Perhaps most importantly, simulation provides a clear and intuitive way to visualize issues and compare different scenarios in a way that traditional calculations cannot,” Lin said. “It also helps planners, operators and decision-makers to clearly see the benefits and trade-offs of proposed infrastructure investments and operational improvements before they are implemented.”
Read the full interview with Lin on pedestrian simulation.
HDR’s Experts Talk interview series shines a light on various aspects of transportation infrastructure design and delivery. Each subject matter expert offers unique expertise and insights about new and ongoing trends, emerging technologies and the human side of infrastructure.
About HDR
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
