RECORDING TO REDESIGN: REDESIGNING A SITE USING CAMERA VISION TO OPTIMIZE PEDESTRIAN FLOW

Abstract

Examining how people interact with public space is an important dimension of design. As technology has advanced, we have used it to capture how people move and interact in public spaces. Harnessing technology allows landscape architects to leverage the power of computers to empower their designs and increase the effectiveness of designed space. This thesis explores two uses of such technologies: using computer vision to explore how students move through a public space and calibrating a microscopic pedestrian flow model based on collected pedestrian traffic data. These technologies are used to show how such a site might be redesigned to make a space more effective. The site that has been selected to do this is the westernmost plaza of McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland. The site is adjacent to the McKeldin Library and home to the Testudo sculpture.