Rethinking Urban Planning and Development for the Post-Pandemic Urban Crowd Management

The demand for collective gatherings and recreational space has been rising as a response to the three-year itch of staying indoors and social distancing due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Crowds are spilling out in the city and rejuvenating places, yet also causing dangerously overcrowded and uncontrolled situations. Planning is also challenged by the temporary use of space and the unpredictable nature of crowds during events, requiring a deep understanding of the crowd flow and flexibility in planning. How can places be prepared to accommodate the sudden influx of crowds safely? This chapter focuses on the case study of the tragic crowd crush in a once-festive alley celebrating Halloween in Itaewon, Seoul, the Republic of Korea, in 2022. What sort of planning methods could have prevented the crowd crush? Many past similar events worldwide reported a significant number of casualties and deaths, especially related to stampedes. This chapter analyzes the tragedy in retrospect in terms of form, programming, and the roles of stakeholders while reviewing and drawing lessons learned from relevant crowd-control measures elsewhere that could have been applied to avoid such an incident. Ultimately, this chapter offers insights and guidelines for planning for future crowd-raising occasions in limited spaces.