This minor focuses on preventing unsafe situations in crowded places. Just think of city centres and parks, railway stations, festivals, and events, such as Pride Amsterdam, carnival or the Tilburg Fun Fair. 

The programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical application through lectures, case studies (both national and international) and field trips. You will study the safety aspects of overcrowded areas, conduct research and analysis and develop improvement strategies. 

Whether you are studying Built Environment, Logistics, or planning to work in events, tourism, hospitality, or facility services, this minor will teach you how to safely manage crowd experiences – a crucial skill that will complement your existing knowledge. 

More information:

Language of instruction

• The main spoken language in the programme will be English. Lectures, field trips and literature will all be in English. English will be the standard language in plenary sessions and classes.
• Individual deliverables may be submitted in either English or Dutch; explanations of cases may be in English.
• If it is possible to form fully Dutch project groups, communication can be in Dutch. End products may also be submitted in Dutch. 

Admission requirements

Admission requirements for BUas students:

• Minimum C1 level of English
• Affinity for events, (spatial) design, people flows and working with figures and calculations
• Propaedeutic certificate obtained

Admission requirements for external students:

• Minimum C1 level of English
• Affinity for events, (spatial) design, people flows and working with figures and calculations
• Propaedeutic certificate obtained

Learning outcomes & competencies

Logistics and Event Design
You will master event logistics concepts, including process management and capacity calculation. You will also develop an understanding of mobility and urban design through integral alignment, design processes and spatial planning.
Crowd Analysis and Technology
You will learn to apply crowd simulations, measurement and monitoring tools, queuing theories and crowd modelling. You will analyse events and venues using core modelling elements, communicating technical information effectively through clear graphics.
Safety and Risk Management
You will understand crowd safety management frameworks, covering planning, licensing and operations. You will apply risk assessment methodologies, analyse their legislative impact and recognise group behaviour patterns and causality.
Regulatory and Stakeholder Management
You will navigate stakeholder analysis, procedures, permits and legal regulations within the wider organisational and risk management framework.
Consultancy and Presentation
You will learn how to act as a consultant, providing practical advice and knowing how to present it to real-life industry partners in an informative and persuasive way.

Competencies you will develop:

• Affinity with crowd management topics
• Enhanced calculating skills
• Adaptability to change in dynamic environments
• Open-minded approach to challenges
• Readiness for practical, real-world applications

Topics and structure of the minor

The overall goal of this minor is to learn about accident and incident prevention in crowded places. This encompasses the following topics:

• Crowd management
• Crowd control
• Risk analysis
• Behaviour
• Stakeholder management
• Monitoring
• Modelling
• Media and communication
• Logistics and mobility
• Law and regulations
• Simulations

The overall structure of the minor is a project-based structure, there are multiple group projects and two separate individual assignments. Those group projects and individual deliverables are running parallel to each other.

Teaching & assessment

This is a full-time minor and we expect a lot of work and effort to be put in. The general structure of the lessons and contact hours is as follows:

• On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have scheduled working hours between 09:00 and 13:00.
• Besides that, we expect groups to work independently on Wednesdays and Fridays.
• We offer demand-driven coaching sessions outside of the planned contact hours.
• During the minor, multiple field trips, guest lectures and company visits may be arranged for evenings and weekends.

Group projects:
During the first eight weeks, students will begin with the fundamentals of crowd safety. This project will introduce you to the topic of crowd science. You will learn the basics of crowd science and crowd management, and how to create crowd simulations. This larger project will be followed by three shorter projects focusing on the following topics: Event Logistics, Mobility and Crowd Simulation.

Individual products:
To assess your individual knowledge, you will hand in two individual products during the minor:

• Your own theoretical knowledge clip
• Your own practical assignment demonstrating application of knowledge

Required study material

Literature provided by this minor includes:

• Crowd Science portal, Keith Still
• Simulation software SIMcrowds

Students need to source the following literature themselves (it is available in the BUas Library):

• Introduction into Crowd Safety, Keith Still
• Applied Crowd Science, Keith Still
• Event Logistics, Maarten van Rijn, Dick van Damme

Additional costs

Non mandatory: around €400 for a studytrip to Copenhagen.

Minor coordinator

Justin van de Pas: [email protected] & Sanne Kuipers: [email protected]