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Published on: August 26, 2018
Visitor responses to emergency evacuation: A human behavior approach
Omid Akbarzadeh1, Parisa Moshashaei2, Hamed Golzad2
1Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Health Promotion Perspectives
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Human evacuation behavior at the Tabriz Grand Bazaar shows more competitive than cooperative actions, with most people following crowds and avoiding less crowded exits. This research offers crucial insights for emergency planning and realistic simulation models.
Area of Science:
- Crowd dynamics and human behavior analysis
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Urban planning and safety
Background:
- Investigates human behaviors during emergency evacuations at the Tabriz Grand Bazaar (TGB), a large, historic market.
- Highlights the scarcity of empirical research on real human behavior in contrast to simulation-based crowd evacuation studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore proactive vs. reactive responses, competitive vs. cooperative interactions, symmetry-breaking behaviors, and route selection during evacuations.
- To provide empirical data on human behavior in large-scale public spaces during emergencies.
- To inform emergency planning and the development of more realistic evacuation simulations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 749 questionnaire responses from visitors at the Tabriz Grand Bazaar.
- Analyzed four key aspects of evacuation dynamics: response type, interaction type, symmetry-breaking, and route choice.
Main Results:
- 44.2% of participants exhibited competitive behaviors, while only 8.4% were willing to help others.
- Over 90% followed others, and 77.8% avoided the least crowded exit, demonstrating significant symmetry-breaking.
- Gender showed no significant correlation with evacuation behavior, but marital status, education, and age were associated with different strategies.
Conclusions:
- Provides valuable behavioral insights for enhancing emergency planning and evacuation strategies.
- Offers empirical evidence to improve the realism of crowd evacuation simulations.
- Contributes to a better understanding of human behavior in complex, high-density environments during emergencies.
Keywords:
CrowdingDecision makingDisaster planningEmergency shelterSafety managementSocial behaviorUrban healthMore Related Videos
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