Proxemics and Permeability of the Pedestrian Group

TL;DR

This paper investigates how pedestrians interact with groups, revealing the existence of distinct proximity zones and behaviors that influence crowd dynamics and social norms.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of group proxemics and permeability using naturalistic data, identifying multiple proximity zones and interaction patterns.

Findings

Identification of three distinct proximity zones around groups

Pedestrians tend to stay in the public zone and approach groups gradually

Close approaches are infrequent and brief

Abstract

People tend to walk in groups, and interactions with those groups have a significant impact on crowd behavior and pedestrian traffic dynamics. Social norms can be seen as unwritten rules regulating people interactions in social settings. This article studies people interactions with groups and the emergence of group proxemics. Group zones, zone occupancy counts and people clearance from the group are studied using naturalistic data. Analysis indicate potential presence of three different zones in addition to the public zone. People tend to remain in the public zone and only progressively get closer to groups, and those closer approaches happen in a low frequency and for brief periods of time.