Building resilience through blue exercise

This article examines how municipalities can facilitate blue exercise while balancing public health objectives, safety considerations, and individual responsibility in urban waterfront environments. Increasing urbanization and a growing interest in nature-based recreation have led cities, including Oslo, to transform former industrial waterfronts into accessible spaces for bathing, swimming, and social interaction. Research consistently highlights the health benefits of blue spaces, including enhanced physical activity, stress reduction, and improved mental well-being. However, these environments also introduce inherent risks related to water environments, raising questions about safety and accountability. Using a discourse-analytical framework informed by social constructivism and Foucauldian perspectives on power and knowledge, this study analyzes how risk, safety, and responsibility are constructed across municipal policies and legal. Empirically, the study draws on two Norwegian court cases involving accidents at urban waterfronts, as well as the “Safe Waterfront” guideline developed by Oslo municipality. These sources reveal differing interpretations of municipal liability and user responsibility. In one case, the municipality was held liable due to inadequate warning of a hidden hazard in a heavily used bathing area. In another, the Supreme Court emphasized personal responsibility, ruling that sufficient warnings had been provided and that users must assess risks themselves. The findings highlight a central tension between promoting accessible, attractive waterfronts and ensuring adequate safety. While municipalities are expected to provide reasonable safeguards—such as clear design cues, rescue infrastructure, and risk communication—they are not required to eliminate all risks. Simultaneously, reliance on individual responsibility presupposes a level of competence that is not universally present. Drawing on research on outdoor swimming and salutogenic learning, the article argues that competence in managing aquatic risk develops through embodied experience, gradual exposure, and social support. Consequently, safety should be understood as a relational and co-produced process rather than a fixed outcome of regulation or individual judgment alone. The study concludes that municipalities should adopt an integrated approach combining thoughtful design, targeted safety measures, and educational initiatives. Urban blue spaces should thus be viewed not only as recreational and health-promoting environments, but also as pedagogical arenas where resilience, risk understanding, and responsibility are collectively developed.