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The present paper addresses the timely need, across research and practice, to ask: how do we plan sustainable and healthier cities in a synergetic way for everyday life? Currently, urban dwellers are facing significant health challenges, especially physical inactivity. There is increasing awareness of the need to initiate active living strategies for urban dwellers to confront this challenge. Active mobility—walking and cycling—is the core of active living strategies and is promoted as both a type of physical activity and a mode of transport. However, uptake of active mobility faces many barriers, including lack of motivation and longer travel times. This paper unfolds the potential of green spaces as Third Places that can potentially counteract the challenges and in return, deliver double-layered health benefits. The sensory experiences provided by urban green spaces and associated health benefits have been largely investigated; yet, little is focused on how these experiences can be integrated as a part of daily living activities. This paper gives voice to everyday practice and discusses how these experiences can be utilized as planned motivations for the use of active mobility. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge for future research and practice, and bring forward an open debate about healthier cities, which can bridge all related professions across urban sectors.

There are several stressors that challenge cities around the world due to climate change and its impacts on Earth. Numerous northern European cities face challenges regarding increasing frequency and intensity of precipitation events. With often insufficient sewer systems unable to manage the expected increase in water runoff, new, sustainable solutions are required. This comparative case study takes departure in three northern European cities, Copenhagen, Dublin, and Oslo. The study investigates how trees can contribute to stormwater management in urban areas, to what extent trees in stormwater management is included in panning documents as well as the potential impact of policies and physical factors of the cities. This is done through analysing the current literature on the topic and conducting a document analysis to examine the inclusion of trees related to stormwater management in planning documents as well as analysing the physical characteristics of the cities using geographical information systems (GIS). This study found that trees can contribute to stormwater management in various ways through increased evapotranspiration, improved infiltration capacity of soil, absorption of rainwater through interception and through their roots. The inclusion of trees as a stormwater management tool in planning documents is lacking in Copenhagen and Oslo, however the topic is further included in Dublin to a great extent. The study further concluded that policies could have a significant impact on tree planning processes and clear communication as well as functioning collaboration between policymakers and stakeholders is crucial for well-functioning stormwater management and tree planning. Furthermore, physical characteristics and the location of a city may impact the focus on trees in stormwater management. This study suggests that there is a need for the interrelation between stormwater management and tree planning, as well as the aspects of other essential bene