Sammendrag
How should contemporary societies promote physical activity in
nature and preservation of the natural environment? Outdoor life
occupies a central and contested position on this question in the
Nordic countries. In Norway, a 1957 Act of Parliament took a major
step by guaranteeing free public access to both public and private
uncultivated land. This article explores the media debate that raged in
2008–2009, when the national government proposed new legislation
intended to promote outdoor life, sport, nature experience and urban
forest preservation around Oslo, Norway’s capital. Applying narrative
and discourse methodologies, this case study reveals how the media
debate evolved from an initial cacophony of voices into a schism
between advocates of nature preservation and advocates of sport. The
controversy explored here is increasingly relevant throughout all of
Europe: how to encourage urban active living, sustainable recreation
and democratic citizenship that embody distinct social practices,
identities, emotional bonds and symbolic meaning.
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