Crowd Engineering: Transforming Gatherings into Civic Strength
In his book 'Crowd Engineering: From Control to the New Science of Collective Behaviour,' Haryana IPS officer O P Singh argues for a shift from traditional crowd control to crowd engineering. Singh presents a framework, HARMONY, for designing gatherings constructively, suggesting the concept be an academic field, integrating multidisciplinary insights.
- Country:
- India
Policing and governance have long grappled with crowd management challenges. Senior Haryana IPS officer O P Singh's upcoming book advocates for a paradigmatic shift. Instead of conventional crowd control, Singh proposes 'crowd engineering'—a discipline that channels collective energy into civic trust and legitimacy.
Entitled 'Crowd Engineering: From Control to the New Science of Collective Behaviour,' the book posits that assemblies are not merely dispersal-requiring nuisances. Rather, they are natural behaviors that, if harnessed innovatively, can enrich democratic engagement and societal cohesion.
Central to Singh's thesis is the HARMONY framework. By focusing on Honour, Aspiration, Ritual, Memory, Order in Synchrony, Narrative, and Joy, Singh contends crowds can be orchestrated to yield positive additions to civic landscapes. His call to explore 'crowd engineering' academically aims to glean insights across multiple disciplines, from history to urban planning.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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