Fair blue urbanism: demands, obstacles, opportunities and knowledge needs for just recreation beside Helsinki Metropolitan Area waters

Abstract

To shed light on fair blue urbanism, we studied the demands, obstacles and opportunities as well as knowledge needs of various citizen groups living in Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The perspectives were identified and explored by experts using an innovative ‘role chair’ method of opinion elicitation. The responses, aggregated as clusters, highlight the multiple roles of urban blue infrastructures and demonstrate that they constitute important parts of cultural processes and environmental justice. Commonalities and differences found between clusters of age and ethnic groups, challenged groups and groups engaged in particular forms of water-related activity suggest paths to inclusive actions for fair use of ecosystem services. Important unrecognized knowledge needs were also discerned. We conclude that environmental justice within engagement with water areas involves wide diversity. Facilitating the recognition of such diversity by experts and then by authorities, stakeholders and citizens concerned through interactive group methods is key to fair blue urbanism.

Keywords

• urban
• water
• blue-green infrastructure
• recognition
• environmental justice
• expert opinion