It’s been a year since the Standout Project launched, and it’s already leaving its mark on cities across Europe. Kicking off in January 2024, the project quickly got to work, starting with a big question: What exactly are outdoor sports in an urban context? For the consortium, the answer settled on physical activities that take place in natural and cultural landscapes in an urban setting, focusing on well-being and the experience of nature.
Over the past year, regular meetings among partners and focused collaboration with work package leaders have maintained strong momentum and driven steady progress. Highlights include two major knowledge exchanges in Silkeborg, Denmark, and Lecco, Italy, where experts and stakeholders came together to share ideas, explore barriers, and develop solutions for making outdoor sports accessible and inclusive in cities.
Video: Knowledge Exchange – Lecco (Italy)
But how do we incorporate outdoor sports into urban areas better? Participants of various focus groups in different European cities have been asked this question during an interactive format within the Standout Project that raised many discussions.
Photo: Elena Volterrani
This research part of the Standout project focuses on drivers and barriers that people face to get active in outdoor sports and nature activities in an urban context. With the lead of Technical University of Munich, the project partners organized focus groups in Italy, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Serbia and Denmark.
The idea was to bring together stakeholders with different perspectives, coming from different sports (e.g. hiking, running, biking, canoeing, swimming), with special needs and representing individuals, sports organizations as well as city planners. Interactive formats included a world café on the drivers and barriers, an outdoor city game and the task to formulate recommendations to the city council for improvement.
In Prague, the participants identified potential for improvement towards better access to outdoor sports within close range of residential areas. Private properties blocking direct pathways and interference with car traffic can present obstacles to overcome for people seeking outdoor activity.
Funding and resources were among the main talking points in Sundsvall, Sweden. Getting young people engaged already in school as well as promoting an active lifestyle for the elderly will be beneficial to public health in the long run but requires the courage to implement bold measures in the short term, e.g. marketing campaigns or access to free activities under municipal auspices.
Participants in Perugia, Italy, vividly discussed improvements in the maintenance of outdoor infrastructure and how diverse outdoor events could potentially foster participation.
Photos: Elena Volterrani
The fact that representatives from the municipal administrations took part in these discussions is particularly promising.
Beyond those workshops, a lot of practical research has been going on during the first year of Standout to build knowledge, share good practices and gain insights from different European cities.
Do you also have some innovative project, initiative, or infrastructure in mind that helps inhabitants of urban areas get active in nature in a sustainable and inclusive way?
Those good practice examples might include (but are not limited to):
– sustainable infrastructure,
– policy and planning mechanism,
– initiatives on activating people,
– engagement of local communities,
– communication and information services,
– collaborative working or
– initiatives on education and capacity building.
You’re welcome to share these good examples across Europe and inspire other cities. Send your proposal here:
You can also contact us directly at luis.monteiro@outdoor-sports-network.eu
The Standout project seeks to integrate outdoor sports into urban planning, reshaping urban environments for community well-being. The project establishes standards through cross-sectoral collaboration, with a focus on inclusivity, diversity and sustainability.
#erasmusplus #europeanprojects #EU
#STANDOUT