What architects can learn from bull-running
A Spanish tradition offers insight into how crowds behave
EVERY YEAR thousands of people converge on the city of Pamplona, in north-eastern Spain, for the opportunity to run for their lives as six fighting bulls are released to charge through the town. There are dozens of injuries every year, and there have been at least 15 deaths recorded since 1910. But the event is of interest to more than just adrenaline junkies and animal-rights activists. A paper just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes the insight the event offers into the psychology of panicked crowds.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Of architects and bull-running”
From the December 11th 2021 edition
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