Peri-urban landscapes are the meeting point of a wide range of human activities, power dynamics, and social-ecological processes in the Anthropocene. Multiple interests, as well as differences in governance regimes and decision-making processes increase the complexity of peri‑urban landscapes. With this complexity as a background, we place our focus on the interactions between two highly desirable human activities in peri‑urban landscapes: outdoor recreation and biodiversity conservation. The multifunctional role peri‑urban landscapes can fulfill to respond to biodiversity conservation and outdoor recreation goals has the capacity to minimize the potential clash between these two functions. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the realization of multifunctionality in peri‑urban landscapes when addressing the recreation-conservation nexus. In this Perspective, we provide a foundation for further inter-disciplinary explorations in this area by identifying knowledge gaps and priorities for future research on the recreation-conservation nexus in peri‑urban landscapes with particular emphasis on the “spatial” dimension. 

While research on green urban spaces has established their important values and functions, less attention has been given to blue urban spaces and its importance for wellbeing of urban residents. With the project “Blue Urban Commons” (2020-2023) we wish to gain more knowledge about these blue spaces through a case study of Stockholm, Sweden. The aim with this project is to understand how urban dwellers use and depend on city waters for recreation, food, and general well-being, with a specific focus on recreational fishing. This paper consists of four parts highlighting research strands, preliminary findings and reflections concerning what issues are important for planning blue urban spaces. The first part provides an understanding of the various conditions that enables Stockholm to be an attractive city for fishing. In the second part, we present some preliminary findings regarding the diversity of fishers in Stockholm, using an ideal typical distinction between fishing for fun and fishing for food. The fact that many people fish for food in Stockholm raises several questions, such as e.g. on water pollution and their potential health consequences for fishers and the fish, which we present in the third part. We conclude with some reflections on the various goals of planning urban waterfronts and the trade-offs that it includes between food safety and security, equal access, and human and non-human wellbeing.