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The urban swimming movement is building momentum! What if we had a set of common principles to empower decision-makers, advocates and actors in their work with local natural waterways?
Making Peace with Nature
Promoting the Rights to Life
Empowering People in Practice
Swimming towards Sustainable Development
Investing in a Better Future for All
Connecting South, North, East & West
FOUNDATIONAL VALUES
1. The Right to Swim
Safe, healthy and swimmable waterways should be accessible to all people.
2. One Health, Many Swimmers
Swimmable urban waterways are vital to the liveability of cities and communities, as shared civic places that promote the health of people (physically, mentally, spiritually) and the health of Mother Earth.
3. Urban Swimming Culture
Urban swimming culture is a unique expression of life in cities and communities, reflecting the distinct interplay of sports, recreation and tourism in each given place, as well as natural and cultural heritage.
4. Water is Sacred
Urban swimming should celebrate natural waterways as living, integrated entities that nurture communities; promoting universal accessibility and peaceful coexistence inclusive of religious, cultural and gender diversity.
ENABLING CONDITIONS
5. Rewriting the Rules
Urban waterway swimming should become part of a new status quo in public access standards, challenging accepted conventions such as industrial uses and stormwater pollution, with governing authorities swiftly amending legal and regulatory frameworks to enable citizens access to its benefits.
6. Democratic Participation in Swimming Places
Urban swimming places and experiences should be planned, designed, made and operated through inclusive, integrated water management approaches; with managers ensuring universal access via community-led programs for learning how to swim in natural waterways and ecological literacy.
7. Reconnection & Resilience
Urban swimming places and experiences should be invested in as an innovative way to enable resilient communities to adapt and thrive in a changing global climate, environment and economy.
SHARING BENEFITS
8. New Economic Opportunities
Urban swimming development models should balance social, cultural, ecological and economic values, creating new jobs, careers and livelihoods in regenerative professions and industries.
9. Sharing Wellbeing Benefits, Culture & Knowledge
Urban swimming should create wellbeing benefits to local citizens, ecosystems and economies; enhanced by the respectful sharing of Indigenous, traditional and Western water culture knowledge.
NEXT GENERATION
10. Stewardship for Today, Tomorrow & Future Generations
Urban swimmers are stewards responsible for protecting the health of their local waterways, working alongside Mother Earth’s closest carers, such as Indigenous peoples, rangers and waterkeepers as well as urbanists, architects, social changemakers, educators and policy-makers.
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Swimmers jumped off of a dock during sanctioned swimming in the Charles River. / JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF
Have you heard about the global biodiversity goals and the ’30 by 30’ target? Well, we thought we’d add some fresh ideas.
Note: Why ‘Mother Earth’? Just as the UN Global Biodiversity Framework recognises voices of Indigenous Peoples and the rights of Nature, so do we.
It takes a global village to grow a movement! Our signatories represent an incredible diversity of stakeholders - from local activists and community swimming groups to municipalities and government agencies, civil society organisations, businesses, universities and cultural institutions.
The following 31 cities, across 16 countries, are currently represented by our signatories: Amsterdam, Arnhem, Basel, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Cambridge (USA), Chicago, Copenhagen, Cork, Dresden, Ghent, Johannesburg, Liverpool, London, Marseille, Melbourne, Metz, Munich, New York, Plymouth, Portland, Oxford, Paris, Rotterdam, Sydney, Toronto and Vienna.
Matt Sykes
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Regeneration Projects (Convenor)
Ana Mumladze Detering
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Pan European Urban Bathing Network & SVDK Vienna
Chris Romer-Lee
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Studio Octopi, Thames Baths & Future Lidos
Sibylle van der Walt
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Metz Ville d'Eau
Tim Edler
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Flussbad Berlin
Jerome Castex
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Libres Nageurs
The Swimmable Cities alliance is emerging and growing through the collective efforts of experts in urban swimming environment design, public mediation, community building, policy, safety, public health, waterway restoration and water quality.
Like all global movements, there are many actors and different regional hubs of activity, spread out over years and decades. One example was the Swimmable Cities Handbook, published by Regeneration Projects in October 2023, which sparked the formation of an international ‘Steering Group’ in February 2024. To support the movement's next chapter, the Group is starting to implement some of the Handbook's recommendations, like the Charter. The excitement and anticipation around the Paris Olympics is elevating the movement and urban waterways are gaining the recognition they deserve!
General Enquiries
Regional Enquiries
Europe
ana@svdonaukanal.org
Asia-Pacific
matt@regenprojects.earth
Americas
info@pluspool.org
Africa
roomys@nandos.com
The Swimmable Cities movement is just beginning!
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