Outdoor Facilities Research Articles

OUTDOOR RECREATION IN SWEDEN

SummaryOutdoor Recreation in SwedenThe author presents a report on outdoor recreation in Sweden. There is a demand for more and better outdoor recreation facilities within day‐use range of the urban population, and the demand is growing so rapidly that the final pattern cannot be discerned as yet.At present there are about 300,000 summer homes in Sweden, and according to forecasts this number will double in the next five years. They have multiplied in the metropolitan regions and along the coastline to such an extent that the supply of land for the purposes of nature conservation and recreation areas is seriously threatened.The report stresses the responsibilities of national and local government in making opportunities for outdoor recreation available to more and more people. A primary task will be to delimit the areas of land and water that will be needed in the long run.

Economics of including Recreation as a Purpose of Eastern Water Projects

C HARACTERISTICALLY water resource development projects have been designed and justified for such useful purposes as providing hydropower, navigation, flood control and irrigation benefits. This has now been altered, most notably by Senate Document 97 and its supplement dealing with recreation benefits.' Among the major changes in policy is the recognition and full consideration of outdoor recreation as a primary purpose in water resource development project formulation and evaluation. The most immediate consequence of this is that benefits of recreation opportunities may now be included in project planning and justification considerations. The time has passed when we can profitably debate whether outdoor recreation should properly be acknowledged as a rightful use of natural resources. The propriety of this resource use is no longer an issue. The chief reasons for the expansion of interest accorded not only waterbased recreation activities but nearly all other types as well, stem in large part from changes which are occurring within our society. As we experience such things as increased per capita income, population growth, more leisure time, increased mobility, and continued urbanization, activities such as outdoor recreation take on greater significance among our wants and preferences. These changes are manifested in the changes in demand for outdoor recreation resources. The usual statements of demand for recreation refer to the demand for outdoor recreation facilities at zero prices, and are in this sense simply statements of attendance. While attendance information is useful, large numbers by themselves do not give us complete indications of value which have utility for comparing this use of resources with alternatives. The increased demand for recreation should, ceteris paribus, increase the value of resources which can be efficiently used for such purposesincluding water resources. To the extent that such is the case, this implies that an increase in investment in outdoor recreation facilities is de-

An Analysis of Selected Variables Affecting Outdoor Recreation Patterns

n June 1958, the Congress of the United States created the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission. It clharge(d tllis group with the responsibility of compiling a national inventory of outdoor recreation facilities anid resources an(d of (leterminiing thie types, locations, and number of resoulrces needed by present and future generationis, particularly those of 1975 and 2000. To accomplish these tasks, the Commissioni employe(d a professionial staff, conducted a national survey Nvithl the aid of the Bureau of the Census, coIntracted or conducted over 100 additional independent research investigations and comiipile(d the most extensive bibliography ever published in the field of organized recreation. The total operation expended some three million dollars and required three and one-half years to complete. The final report of the Commission was received by the Congress in January 1962. Legislation is now being prepared to implemenit the ORRRC's recommendations. During the preliminary stages of a Nationial Recreation Survey (1960), this writer was employed by the Commission as a Consultant with the specific task of reviewing the literature for data relevant to the survey. The results of this endeavor could not be made available, however, until the Commission's final report was received by the Congress. The materials are now available as an appendix to the Commission's Report.1