A guest blog by Alan Wilson, ‘Crowd Control Guy’ in Western Australia
Let’s talk about hexagons, the unsung hero of crowd safety and pedestrian mobility. You might think I’m obsessed. Well, you’d be right! If you’re still planning events and public spaces using square grids, then you’re doing it wrong.
Hexagons aren’t just pretty shapes, they are the key to fluid movement, efficient wayfinding, and faster evacuations. And if you care about keeping people safe, then you need to start seeing the world in six sides.
Why Hexagons Beat Squares Every Time
Think about it … when you move through a city, stadium, or festival, you don’t move in a straight line. Pedestrians naturally flow in arcs, shifting and adjusting their paths dynamically. Yet traditional urban planning still relies on square grids, forcing movement into inefficient right angles. Hexagons, on the other hand, allow movement in six equidistant directions, meaning fewer bottlenecks and a more natural, organic flow.
Hexagonal Wayfinding: Less Confusion, Faster Movement
Ever been stuck in a crowd trying to figure out where to go? Poor signage and wayfinding make crowds clog up like bad plumbing. By placing directional signage at hexagonal nodes, key points where pedestrians naturally pause, you create a system that reduces hesitation, improves decision-making, and keeps people moving.
A hexagonal layout also means clearer sightlines. People can see their options better, making navigation instinctive rather than frustrating. Whether it’s a stadium exit or a train station, hexagonal mapping ensures that the shortest path is always clear.
Better Exit Strategies in Emergencies
In an emergency, seconds matter. A poorly designed space can create deadly choke points. Hexagonal zoning allows for multiple escape routes, spreading the flow of evacuees evenly rather than funnelling them into dangerous bottlenecks.
By using a hexagonal grid to predict high-density areas, we can plan better exit strategies, adjust staff deployment, and prevent crush incidents before they happen.
Smart crowd management starts with smart geometry.
The Future is Hexagonal
From festival layouts to stadium security, the future of crowd management isn’t about forcing people into rigid grids, it’s about embracing natural movement.
If you want safer, smarter, and more efficient crowds, you need to think in hexagons.
Don’t fight the flow. Shape it.
Alan Wilson : The Crowd Control Guy
Alan Wilson is on a mission to ditch the squares and embrace the hexagons because crowds deserve better! As a crowd management professional, he’s transforming how we think about pedestrian flow, emergency planning, and mass gatherings. Obsessed with efficiency and safety, Alan’s designs use hexagonal grids to create smoother, smarter, and faster crowd movement. Whether it’s stadiums, racecourses or festivals, Alan’s goal is simple : safer crowds, fewer bottlenecks and way less chaos.
#HexagonsForLife #CrowdSafety #SmartMobility