Alcohol Consumption at Designated Picnic Sites: A solution for monitoring the impact of alcohol consumption in public areas

The Problem

Following a City Council motion to pilot alcohol consumption in designated park sites, public safety concerns were raised regarding disorderly behavior and drinking and driving. The City needed to monitor ongoing public perception and enforcement demand to evaluate the pilot's impact and respond effectively.

The Solution

The solution developed for the Alcohol Consumption at Designated Picnic Sites pilot program utilized automation and data science to provide a holistic, data-driven account of the pilot's impact. By integrating both qualitative public sentiment and quantitative enforcement demand data, the solution aimed to help Administration monitor the program's real and perceived effects in real-time. This tool was built using open source tools within existing budget.

The Impact

The solution was designed to enable informed decision-making and potential program adjustments by providing valuable insights into the pilot’s effectiveness. It specifically addressed concerns raised during public engagement, where 92% of opponents cited disorderly behavior, and drinking and driving as top safety concerns. By monitoring these specific metrics, the City could respond accordingly to shifts in public perception or enforcement needs.

Lessons Learned

Data sets don't have to be siloed to one project. The use of demand data from Unison was very helpful here in gaining a little objectivity, especially when combined with the pilot survey result.

Launch year: 2021