The Art of Crowds: A Fresh Perspective on Crowd Management
Why This Book? Why Now?
At some point, we’ve all been part of a crowd—whether at a concert, a football match, a festival, or even the morning commute. Sometimes, it feels effortless, well-structured, and smooth. Other times, it’s frustrating, unpredictable, or even unsafe.
But why?
What makes a crowd work well in one situation and break down in another? What influences how people move together, react to changes, or respond to direction?
That’s what The Art of Crowds is about.
A Different Kind of Crowd Book
There are plenty of essential books on crowd safety, event management, and public gatherings—many of them structured as technical manuals or academic textbooks. They serve the purpose of guiding and educating the reader in the traditional way.
But when I started learning about crowd management, I wanted something different. I wanted a way to think about crowds that was memorable, allowed me to think about the subject, made me smile and popped into my head easily.
That’s when I recalled reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
It wasn’t the topic of war that caught my attention—it was the way complex strategies were distilled into short, impactful statements. The structure of the book made it easy to absorb ideas and recall them when needed. That approach made a lasting impression on me, and it helped me build a foundational understanding of thinking outside of academic teaching in my early career.
That’s why I wrote The Art of Crowds—to offer the same kind of concise, thought-provoking insights that help people understand crowds in a more abstract and simplified way.
Understanding Before Action
Most books on crowd management focus on processes, laws, and best practices—all of which are necessary. But before any of that, I believe the key to good crowd management is understanding how crowds behave in the first place.
Crowds are not just numbers or logistical challenges to overcome. They are made up of individuals who react to space, communication, and each other in ways that can be studied, anticipated, and influenced.
This book does not aim to teach new rules. Instead, it is meant to give readers new ways to think about movement, influence, and strategy—so they can apply that knowledge in the moment.
Who Is This Book For?
If you work in crowd safety, event management, or public security, this book may give you a fresh way to absorb key concepts.
If you are new to the field, it may help you build an understanding of how crowds behave.
If you’re simply curious about why people move the way they do, this book may give you insights you’ve never considered before.
The Art of Crowds is not a manual or textbook. It does not claim to be a definitive guide. Instead, it is designed as a series of concise, practical statements to help you think about crowd management in a way that sticks with you.
This book is a homage to the structured, timeless wisdom of The Art of War—offering a format that helps simplify large ideas into something memorable and useful.
Because at the heart of effective crowd management is not just planning—it’s understanding the movement before it happens.
Written by Mark McQuade
