Sustainable outdoor recreation in rapidly urbanising landscapes. Practitioners’ perspectives in Stockholm, Sweden

As urban populations grow and densify, the multifunctional demands placed on urban green-blue infrastructure (uGBI) are intensifying, raising concerns about sustainability, ecological degradation, and equal accessibility. This qualitative study investigates how goals of sustainable outdoor recreation are operationalised in the planning and governance of multifunctional uGBI in the rapidly urbanising Stockholm region. Through 11 semi-structured interviews with municipal and regional officials, supplemented by workshops, a desktop overview, and a focus group, we identify key barriers and enablers shaping current practice. The results highlight a growing implementation gap: sustainable outdoor recreation is widely valued yet structurally underprioritised in planning processes. Key constraints include institutional fragmentation, limited strategic capacity, unclear responsibilities, and insufficient long-term funding. Despite national and regional policy ambitions, outdoor recreation is often taken for granted, poorly integrated into land use planning, and rarely supported by dedicated roles or operational tools. However, the study also reveals emerging opportunities. Several municipalities are beginning to align sustainable outdoor recreation with public health, climate adaptation, and urban attractiveness goals. The findings offer actionable pathways for more integrated, strategic, and just governance of sustainable outdoor recreation in multifunctional urban landscapes. Practitioners call for new governance models, such as outdoor recreation strategists, cross-sector councils, and innovative planning tools like a “recreation factor” or “recreation guarantee” for children and youth. These insights point to the need for a shift in urban planning culture - one that recognises nature not as a competing land use, but as essential infrastructure for public health, social cohesion, and long-term urban resilience.