An agent-based model of public space use

Computational models have been described as exceptionally adept at examining the complex relationships of human and crowd behaviour, with a significant portion dedicated to investigating spatial behaviour in defined environments. Within this context, this paper presents an agent-based model (ABM) for simulating activity in public spaces at the level of the individual user. Although other ABMs of individuals' spatial activity exist, they are often found to simulate specific building-related activities, and fewer still are found to examine activity in public spaces, in a systematic manner. This research provides a generalized formalization of human spatial behaviour incorporating stationary activities and social interaction within a 3D environment, and is presented using a widely accepted framework for describing ABM, the Overview, Design Concepts, and Details (ODD) protocol. A sample study using a synthetic environment is used to demonstrate applicability, and the model is tested extensively to establish robustness. Furthermore, model output is compared to observed activity patterns in other studies of similar spaces, and simulated spatial patterns of activity are found to match those observed in real-world scenarios, providing insight into the dynamics of the processes, and highlighting the potential of this approach for studying the complexities of human spatial behaviour. •Human spatial behaviour modelled as combination of social and environmental parameters.•A generalized agent-based model of public space activity.•Activity distribution in public spaces is directly affected by social interaction rules.