John J. Fruin is an engineer, urban planner, and author known for his work in the field of crowd science. In 1983, he received the American Society of Civil Engineers Transportation Engineering Award.
Early life and education
His parents were Mr. and Mrs. John Fruin, who lived in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
In 1951, he received a B.C.E degree from
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...
.
He attended
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...
, where he received his M.C.E, M.S., and PhD degrees.
Career
He evaluated personal comfort zones of individuals in different situations, which is affected by national culture, the degree to which people are intimate with one another, mental health, and other factors. He coined the terms "intimate distance", the narrowest zone; "touch zone"; "no touch zone"; and the widest zone, "personal comfort zone". Fruin was a consultant to the investigation into
The Who concert disaster
The Who concert disaster was a crowd disaster that occurred on December 3, 1979, when English rock band The Who performed at Riverfront Coliseum (now known as Heritage Bank Center) in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and a rush of concert-goers ...
of 1979. He also was an adjunct professor at Polytechnic.
Now retired, he was formerly employed as a research engineer by the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...
.
For his research on pedestrian traffic, he received the American Society of Civil Engineers Transportation Engineering Award in 1983. He was a member of the
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) is an interdisciplinary nonprofit professional organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, covering the fields of human factors and ergonomics. Founded in 1957, HFES claims 4500 m ...
, a Fellow of the
Institute of Transportation Engineers
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and ...
, and a Fellow of the
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
Personal life
Fruin married fellow Brooklyn resident, Rita Murray, in the spring of 1952.
He has lived in
Massapequa, New York
Massapequa (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Massapequa area. The p ...
.
Publications
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References
Further reading
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Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people
Crowds
Pedestrian infrastructure
People from Massapequa, New York
Fellows of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Manhattan College alumni
Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni
Polytechnic Institute of New York University faculty
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