"Nudging Crowds: Subtle Interventions for Safe and Efficient Crowd Management"

Call for Papers-"Nudging Crowds: Subtle Interventions for Safe and Efficient Crowd Management"

Journal: Safety Science

Publisher: Elsevier

Submission Deadline: 31 Dec 2026

Key Requirements:

• Nudging interventions (no coercion/barriers) effectiveness testing

• Null effects welcome + experimental/real-world studies

• VSI: Nudging Crowds article type selection MANDATORY

Overview

Revolutionary crowd management paradigm replacing costly/inflexible barriers/stewards with subtle environmental nudges influencing collective behavior without resistance. Explores visual/auditory/olfactory/adaptive stimuli + social identity activation for safety/efficiency. First issue rigorously assessing nudging utility across scales from localized interventions to city-wide flow optimization using sensing technology.

Key Research Themes

Nudging Methodologies:

• Environmental stimuli (dynamic signage/sounds/scents) effects

• Social norm activation + collective identity highlighting

Crowd Steering:

• Routing optimization without physical constraints

• Real-time adaptive interventions via sensing tech

Quantitative Modeling:

• Predictive models of nudging outcomes

• Automation safety impacts analysis

Submission Instructions

1. Access Editorial Manager
2. Register/Login (new users create Editorial Manager account)
3. Submit between 01 May 2026 - 31 Dec 2026
4. CRITICAL: Article Type = "VSI: Nudging Crowds" (essential for special issue handling)
5. Format strictly per Guide for Authors
6. Contact: feliciani@aoni.waseda.jp for topic suitability

Timeline: Opens 01 May 2026 | Closes 31 Dec 2026

Guest Editor Team

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Claudio Feliciani, Waseda University, Japan (feliciani@aoni.waseda.jp)

• Asst. Prof. Dr. Alessandro Corbetta, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands

• Prof. Tom Postmes, University of Groningen, Netherlands

• Dr. Anne Templeton, University of Edinburgh, UK

Why This Issue Matters

Crowd disasters kill 1000s annually but traditional methods fail automation/scalability. Nudging revolution promises zero-cost, resistance-free safety enhancements via real-time sensing + behavioral science. Addresses Hajj/Black Friday stampede prevention through experimental validation (including null results). Essential for smart city crowd management + event safety post-COVID.

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