This is a city-level project - initially taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark - which is aimed at demonstrating that alcohol related harms can be reduced using practical and feasible harm reduction interventions at the local level.
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Background and justification
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Overall project aims
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Copenhagen
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Brussels
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Project funding
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Further information
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Background and justification
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Cities around the world face complex issues associated with the consumption of alcohol, which is a major source of pleasure and entertainment, but also a major cause of crime, social nuisance, and a wide range of acute and chronic health problems. The challenge for cities is to create a drinking environment in which pleasure and social benefits are maximised and harms are minimised.
There are several reasons for focusing on cities:
1. Cities without alcohol are difficult to imagine in Western society. Drinking alcohol is part of daily life, and alcohol has an important economic impact on cities.
2. Cities are normally centres of entertainment and the venues for major events, national celebrations, cultural festivities, carnivals etc. At these events in particular, drinking can play an important role, both positive and negative.
3. It is often in cities that the negative impacts of irresponsible drinking (such as unsafe public spaces, quality of life, traffic accidents, health problems and violence) are felt the most.
4. The problems are often exacerbated, as cities also tend to attract multi-problem persons (such as psychiatric patients, refugees, homeless, and the long-term unemployed), for whom alcohol abuse can be one of (or an escape from) numerous problems.
5. Many agencies which can do something to influence drinking operate at a city (rather than regional or national) level.
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Overall project aims
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The overall aim of the project is to demonstrate how alcohol related health and social problems might be reduced by a range of appropriate, practical and feasible harm reduction interventions operating together within a city-wide context. A wide range of local government agencies and private sector organisations is potentially involved in each city. These include the entertainment and tourism industries, law enforcement bodies, transport providers and planners, non-governmental organisations, alcohol services, hospitals (especially emergency wards), and community groups.
The immediate beneficiaries of this project are the populations and stakeholders in the target cities. However, the wider benefits are that the proposed project will demonstrate how to reduce alcohol related harm, enhance the drinking environment, and raise awareness of harm reduction policy options. As such, the wider beneficiaries should include decision makers (such as the European Union and national governments), and anyone interested in assessing the relevance of city-wide, targeted harm reduction for alcohol.
The key questions that this project seeks to answer are:
1. Is it feasible to establish city-wide alcohol harm-reduction strategies? Who is involved? How do they work? What facilitates or impedes their work?
2. Do city-wide alcohol harm reduction strategies enhance the local capacity to respond and do they lead to the development and implementation of new interventions (or the enhancement of existing ones)?
3. Do these interventions have a positive impact on the drinking environment through maximising responsible drinking and minimising the adverse social and health consequences of drinking?
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Copenhagen
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In May 2006, an initial stakeholders meeting took place in Copenhagen to discuss alcohol problems in the city and how this project could help. The attendees included representatives of academic institutes, the police, public health organisations, and local government (as well as IHRA, Q4Q and Diageo).
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 Brief Meeting Report [PDF: 101KB]
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As an outcome from this meeting, it was agreed that a rapid assessment would be commissioned in the city to look at alcohol consumption, drinking behaviour and related problems, and current service and intervention delivery. The assessment was carried out by Vibeke Asmussen and Sebastian Tugenges from the Centre for Alcohol and Drugs Research, University of Aarhus. Information was collected from existing data sources and stakeholder interviews.
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Copenhagen Rapid Assessment Report: Full Report (English) [PDF:530KB]
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Copenhagen Rapid Assessment Report: Executive Summary (English) [PDF:118KB]
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Copenhagen Rapid Assessment Report: Executive Summary (Danish) [PDF:117KB]
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In October 2006, a second meeting was held in Copenhagen. The aims of this larger “expert meeting” were to discuss the results of the rapid assessment report (above), discuss potential interventions and ideas and then devise a final “wish list” of interventions for Copenhagen, which could then be developed further (with the assistance of some funding from IHRA).
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Brief Meeting Report [PDF:22KB]
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Since this last meeting in Copenhagen, local stakeholders have been in on-going discussions to develop a server training intervention for the city. Under the guidance of Ronni Abergel, a proposal for a co-ordinated intervention between a number of local, national and international partners is being developed. A decision on funding is anticipated later in 2008.
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Click on above images to view larger.
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Brussels
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In June 2006, an initial stakeholders meeting took place in Brussels to discuss alcohol problems in the city and how this project could help. The attendees included representatives of academic institutes, the Belgian Road Safety Institute, and alcohol services (as well as IHRA, Q4Q and Diageo).
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Brief Meeting Report [PDF:99KB]
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Project funding
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The initial development of this project was supported by a donation from Diageo, one of the largest alcohol manufacturers in the world, as part of their ongoing commitment to the responsible use of their products. IHRA was the project lead and worked in partnership with Quest for Quality in the early stages of the project.
In Copenhagen, IHRA will continue to work on this project in an advisory role, alongside the local partners in Copenhagen, the Copenhagen Government, and Diageo. IHRA no longer receives any funding from the alcohol industry for this work.
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IHRA's policy on funding [PDF:21KB]
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Further information
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- For more information about the Alcohol and the City project in general, please contact Jamie Bridge.
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- For more information about the proposed intervention in Copenhagen, please contact Ronni Abergel.
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