The Recreation Rationing Spectrum: A Planning Principle for the Fair Distribution of Scarce Recreation Resources

Abstract

Providing a diversity of opportunities has long been a key tenet of recreation planning. This principle was codified through the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum. Yet this globally-popular framework fails to extend the concept of diversity it applied from types of recreation opportunities to how opportunities are rationed. Reflecting on foundational research that contributed to the formation of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum and our understanding of distributive justice in outdoor recreation, we suggest the adoption of a new principle that extends the core contributions of this research to how we allocate scarce recreation resources (e.g., campsites, trails, or permits) in an age of increasing demand. We present the Recreation Rationing Spectrum (RRS) as an upshot of this reflection. The RRS is simply a principle, or notion, that beckons us to pause and consider how we can fairly and more equitably distribute recreation access (i.e., campsites) on the basis distributive justice.