Do light-based nudges influence pedestrian exit choice? A case study in a university building

Abstract

Lighting is an integral element of every pedestrian environment, making it a promising tool for crowd management. However, limited knowledge exists on how different lighting conditions shape pedestrian choice behavior. This study systematically examines how both light intensity and light color influence pedestrian exit choice using data from a large field experiment in which varying light settings were applied to two building exits. Two multinomial logit (MNL) models, a light-intensity model and a light-color model, were estimated to quantify these effects. Findings indicate that only a limited subset of light-intensity and light-color conditions meaningfully influence pedestrian exit choice, with Off-Neutral, Bright-Neutral, White-Green, and Red-Green showing moderate, time-dependent effects. At the same time, contextual factors such as origin, local density, and time of day remain far stronger predictors of behavior. Moreover, learning effects emerge selectively and often counterintuitively, with pedestrians increasingly favoring the darker or red-lit exits in conditions where opposite directional responses are expected. The MNL models suggest that lighting can modestly influence pedestrian routing, provided it is applied with careful attention to contextual conditions and time of day.