Oslo’s rivers and streams have undergone dramatic transformations over the past two centuries. Once celebrated as engines of industrialisation and symbols of Oslo’s working-class heritage, the city’s waterways were degraded by industrialisation and population growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. Streams were used as open sewers, heavily polluted, and increasingly buried in pipes to make space for urban expansion. By the 1980s, nearly 300 of the city’s 400 kilometres of waterways were buried underground, severing ecological connections and depriving citizens of rivers as public spaces.

Even though there have been some attempts at tackling this issue, such as the rule implemented in the 1980s that buildings should not be erected within a 12 (respectively 20) meter zone around the waterways, these regulations were inconsistently enforced.  With the turn to the 21st century, some more issues emerged: The enclosed rivers and streams might not be able to handle the rising amount of rainfall due to climate change. Furthermore, an increasing awareness for environmental issues and for the need of public outdoor recreation areas make it necessary to address these issues.

In 2000, Oslo Elveforum was founded as a competence and contact forum for the city’s voluntary river groups and interested citizens. Its strategy was twofold: (1) support municipal authorities in protecting and reopening waterways, and (2) mobilise citizens to take local ownership of rivers.

On the institutional side, Oslo Elveforum comments on all planning and zoning matters concerning the city’s waterways and campaigns for the reopening of buried streams. 

On the civic side, the ‘Blue-Green Capital Campaign’ and the river adoption programme engage children, youth and local communities. The forum organises guided walks, publishes a tour guide, initiates the installation of information signs, and develops educational resources. Publications such as ‘A Blue-Green Vision for the City’s Waterways’ frame their visions and goals. 

The Oslo Elveforum serves as an umbrella organisation for the 11 river groups. On the municipal side, the forum cooperates with several departments in a common commitee. Financally, Oslo Elveforum operates with modest resources, e.g. NOK 190,000 (~18,000 USD) in municipal grants in 2023, augmented by projectspecific funding from foundations. To sum it up, the forum functions as a volunteer-driven, low-cost but high-impact partner to the city, sustained by community engagement and collaboration with municipal agencies.

Politically, the forum has contributed to elevating river reopening/ ‘daylighting’ into a formal municipal goal, helping to secure Oslo’s recognition as European Green Capital in 2019. Institutionally, Oslo Elveforum has pioneered a model of collaboration between volunteer organisations and city authorities.

On the social and educational level, the forum’s initiatives have encouraged a sense of local ownership of rivers. Since 2008, 58 schools have adopted river stretches, combining environmental education with hands-on stewardship. Guided tours, walking guides, and information boards have extended this awareness to the broader public, providing residents with accessible means to explore their local environment.

Environmentally, the reopening of the once buried rivers has begun to restore water quality, biodiversity, and flood resilience. Riversides have been transformed into accessible green corridors that improve urban ecology and promote public health through recreation and contact with nature.

Despite all those positive effects, the process has not been without challenges. For example, sustaining long-term school engagement remains difficult, highlighting the need for ongoing support in educational initiatives. Nevertheless, the cumulative effect of Oslo Elveforum’s work has been to place rivers back on the city’s political and cultural agenda, ensuring that waterways are valued not only as infrastructure but as living, shared public spaces.