"They don't come alone. They are afraid": Immigrant Integration and Nature Use in Örebro City

Abstract: In a world with increasing cultural diversity, it is necessary to understand the different environmental mindsets and natural encounters created by local governments. As the population transforms, integration endeavors are susceptible to be influenced by biased perceptions of immigrants thereby affecting people’s relationship with nature in the city. Örebro is a city in Sweden that has a high focus on environmental management. It is for this reason that elite interviews of local public officials and the analysis of environmental documents have been conducted to investigate this phenomenon. Currently, the framings found portray immigrants as uneducated, fearful, vulnerable, and their use of nature is often described as ‘deviant’. Swedes, on the other hand, are framed as educated, confident, and comfortable in their experience of the city and its nature. The interviews and documents show that the city has ambitious environmental goals in which the Municipality attempts to reduce social differences. However, it continues to develop plans based on erroneous perceptions of both Immigrants and Swedes leading to a possible increase in the power gap between these groups. Additionally, it leads the Municipality to work on the basis of an unsubstantial amalgamation of immigrant groups rather than considering the differences within these.