WHAT WE DID
By considering the Queen’s Walk as a combination of circulation and dwelling areas we were able to interrogate the capacity requirements of the space in a structured manner. We broke down each area and attributed minimum space requirements according to its function and demand that would be accommodated.
We also considered the potential for dynamic monitoring of the space, demonstrating how new technology could support more efficient management of the space.
We developed an evidence-based approach to
the study through the collection of visitor movement data in order to ensure
that all of our spatial design + operational and planning advice was robust and
proven to work in practice.
Key services included:
- Data collection study (video survey and on-site observations) to deliver an evidence base of actual visitor behaviours and circulation patterns, for example flow variations across the day and week
- Spatial analysis to review the physical constraints of the site and understand how the different venues and attractions interact with each other
- Visitor behavioural analysis and key attraction operational review
- Capacity review of Queen’s Walk based on Transport for London Pedestrian Level of Comfort standards.
RESULTS
The evidence provided by the study informed the Management Plan for the Queen’s Walk and County Hall’s attractions’ entry/exit process, and crucially ensured the buy-in of individual attraction managers/tenants. Our detailed design and management recommendations now inform the design and implementation of potential physical interventions (for example construction and maintenance work, changes in tenancies, and so on) and form the basis of the CCTV monitoring of crowds at peak times.
An important consequence has been a shift in how the security team monitors Queen’s Walk, taking a pro-active management approach to ensure that the thoroughfare does not reach an unsafe level of crowding.