Every day millions of people come together in places of worship, in commercial centres and in mass transit hubs. Being able to move freely through these crowded spaces and come together is a vital part of our social lives. Unfortunately, that is also what makes us vulnerable and what makes terrorists choose crowded spaces as targets. 
Agnes Venema analyses is what is meant by the term ‘crowded spaces’ and what specific types of spaces there are. It will summarise the sociological concept of ‘the crowd’, analyse what is meant by ‘overcrowding’ in different fields of study, and finally turn to discuss the various ways in which crowded spaces can be made more secure whilst at the same time not impede access to these placed by the general public.