This feasibility study originated from a request from a high‐quality confectionery manufacturer and retailer for research into the possibility of assessing the interaction of multiple outlets in the same town. The particular problem was that of estimating pedestrian flow patterns so that the siting of new outlets would not attract business away from existing outlets of the same company. Various methods of collecting pedestrian data were reviewed, and for reasons of cost and practicality it was decided to concentrate on tracking (105 city‐centre trips) and point‐counting methods. Time‐lapse photography was used for point counting, being the only method capable of handling the volume of pedestrians (7,267). A number of computer programs were written which allowed the photographic data to be transformed into a network flow model. A full‐scale test of the model was made using data collected by Nottingham City Council for a network of 57 links.

In the management of common property resources, privatization is often advocated as the surest path to sustainability because of its reliance on human self-interest in natural resources decision making. This article demonstrates that the motive of self-interest, though powerful, does not necessarily lead to environmental outcomes that promote the common good. The key to avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons is not private ownership but controlling access.