Útivist í þéttbýli: saga, gildi og tækifæri

Translated title of the contribution: Outdoor Activities in Urban Areas: History, Value and Opportunities

Ævar Aðalsteinsson, Jakob Frímann Þorsteinsson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

Abstract

In recent years, public interest in outdoor activities has grown and an increased emphasis has been placed on outdoor learning within schools and leisure centers. The venue for these activities is often outdoor recreational areas in and around urban areas. This paper discusses the history and development of out-door recreational areas and examines the role, value and use of those areas in the past, present and future. Outdoor recreational areas in and around urban areas are diverse and play a number of important roles. The paper discusses research related to outdoor activities, outdoor life and outdoor recreational areas, with outdoor areas placed in a historical and social context. Four different urban recreational areas are specifically examined, analysed and discussed. Findings indicate a variety of effects they have, including effects on individual health and the local community. The main conclusion of this paper is that outdoor recreational areas result from social causes and have multifaceted functions that have evolved and changed in relation to changes in society. These areas are the sites of increasingly diverse outdoor activities and are therefore of great pedagogical value which needs to be taken into consideration when developing outdoor learning in the immediate environment of schools and leisure centers. Focus should be directed towards the rising influx of people who use outdoor areas in order to meet the increasingly varied needs of modern society. Moreover, ways must be sought to minimize potential conflicts that might arise as a result of these diverse interests. Outdoor recreational areas are often the lifeline between nature and children’s experience of nature. It is important to bolster interdisciplinary cooperation in developing outdoor recreational areas. This paper will highlight significant ways in which leisure specialists and social pedagogues have collaborated in that development as experts in the leisure of all ages. The paper combines academic resources as well as the author’s experience of outdoor activities in educational contexts.
Translated title of the contributionOutdoor Activities in Urban Areas: History, Value and Opportunities
Original languageIcelandic
Pages (from-to)1-23
JournalNetla
Publication statusPublished - 2015

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