Sport facilities in urban contexts: a multi-perspective discussion

Sport facility provision has become an increasingly prominent issue in urban governance, frequently framed as a growing shortage with implications for participation and public health. However, research suggests that the relationship between sport facility provision, accessibility, and participation is complex and context-dependent. This article explores how sport facility provision in urban Sweden is shaped by different perspectives, competing institutional logics, and fragmented governance arrangements.

The study adopts an exploratory qualitative design combining document analysis with semi-structured interviews with key informants from national sport organisations, municipal-sector organisations, and knowledge-producing bodies. An abductive analytical approach is applied, iterating between empirical insights and theoretical perspectives, particularly path dependency and new institutional theory.

The findings reveal a contested policy field in which the notion of "facility shortage" is widely acknowledged but interpreted in divergent ways. Rather than indicating a simple lack of infrastructure, shortage emerges as a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by structural mismatches between needs, demand and provision, institutional inertia, and evolving sport practices. Historical investments and standardised facility models contribute to path-dependent development trajectories, while fragmented governance arrangements complicate coordination and prioritisation. At the same time, increasing reliance on quantitative indicators risks obscuring qualitative dimensions such as usability, inclusion, and social value. The article concludes that sport facility challenges cannot be reduced to increasing supply. Instead, addressing them requires a more reflexive and context-sensitive approach to governance, acknowledging institutional legacies, competing priorities, and changing patterns of sport participation.