Swimmable Cities

How scientific research is supporting swimmable cities At the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) Dr. Yixin Cao Oldrich Navratil Nicolas Riviere Anne HONEGGER Victoria Chiu and Célia Maghakian are researching and sharing their knowledge on swimmable cities. Through inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, the studio "Baignades Urbaines" at the Laboratory LabEx IMU - Intelligences des Mondes Urbains at the University of Lyon is studying urban river bathing by addressing four key areas: (1) Safety—ensuring bathing water (microbiological) quality, preventing drowning, and coordinating effective rescue operations; (2) Facilities and Amenities—designing the necessary infrastructure for safe and enjoyable swimming experiences; (3) Urban Attractiveness—enhancing the appeal of cities by integrating river bathing designs with cultural traditions and other recreational activities; and (4) Resource Management—balancing the environmental and/or ecological impacts of river bathing with other urban development policies, i.e., climate change mitigation. https://lnkd.in/eqVZK-Bi

The Fight for a Swimmable Harbor in Baltimore City Another signatory at work: a look at how a coalition of activists, organizations, agencies, scientists, and residents came together to start restoring Baltimore’s iconic waterway. Swimmable cities are about public health in a positive way. In 2010, a coalition in Baltimore set an audacious goal: Make Baltimore’s Harbor swimmable and fishable by the year 2020. "When Adam Lindquist first joined the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore in 2011, he faced a daunting task: Sell the vision of a swimmable Harbor to the people of Baltimore. 'It really struck me that the waterway was seen as off limits, or toxic. Like, if you touched it, it would melt the flesh off of your hand,' he says. So, convincing people that the Harbor could be cleaner started with reminding them of what it once looked like." The story of how Baltimore’s Harbor became swimmable—at least for a day—spans nearly 15 years and involves activists, community organizations, agencies, scientists, and residents. A special episode of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 'Public Health On Call' podcast looked into four ways the Healthy Harbor Initiative became a reality: 1) garnering public attention, 2) collecting data, 3) mitigating sewage, and 4) battling trash. #righttoswim #righttoswim #naturerights Bloomberg Philanthropies Laurie Schwartz Mark C. Eric Costello Justin Williams https://lnkd.in/ekwCdBS9

We're hugely grateful to everyone who's donated so far, getting the Future Lidos Appeal off to such a great start. We urgently need to hit £10,000 if we're to continue our work into 2025, so please donate if you can, and help bring the joy of outdoor swimming to more people in more communities across the UK and Ireland. Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/eg7MNaf4. Thank you! 🙏

Environmental charity Thames21 calls for urgent action on swimming spots after Oxfordshire river bathing sites get mixed water quality results for 2024 Another example that shows we’re not just swimming for fun but for a greater good: for nature, for tourism and our economy, for health and for sport and culture. Thames21 is calling for more urgent action from Defra, the Environment Agency and water companies to clean up bathing water sites. Thames21 Oxford Rivers Project Officer Dr. Claire Robertson said: “We also want to see many more sites designated on the Thames, receiving monitoring and water quality improvements. The thousands of people who use the River Thames each year to swim, paddle and play deserve a clean, healthy river they can visit without the fear of getting unwell. But more than this, having a river fit to swim in would have so many knock-on benefits: for nature, for tourism and our economy, for health and for sport and culture.” #swimmablecities #RightToSwim #NatureRights https://lnkd.in/exhjSnSM

New swimming areas set to open in Sydney, but Urban Plunge plans are not going as fast as many hoped As summer has come to an end on the northern hemisphere and is starting on the southern we’re gradually turning southward. About two years ago, Sydney Water launched its Urban Plunge program with a pop-up pool, which would be "the first of many sites to come". But the high ambitions seem to be stalling… Dozens of new swim sites have been proposed across Sydney in recent years but only two are going ahead this summer. A water quality expert says many of the locations suggested are unfeasible. We hope that we can see many more swimming sites in Sydney in the near future. Keep on working on it Sydney Water! You’ve got our support! Read more about it in the article below 👇 #swimmablecities #RightToSwim #NatureRights

SPLASH! IN THE MUCEM POOL IN MARSEILLE The goal of our signatory from Marseille, Les Libres Nageurs, is to promote open water swimming and campaign for the protection of the coastline of Marseille and its surroundings. They are campaigning for a seawater pool near the Mucem museum. Therefore they make a splash every 13th of the month at 13hrs at the proposed pool near the museum. Swimming or bathing, optional diving, then shared picnic if the weather permits… And a surprise gift for new diver! When you're in Marseille you're invited to join them! Find out about all their actions and campaigns on their website: https://libres-nageurs.fr/

Olympic Rivers: Restoring Urban Waterways and Creating a Legacy Having made international headlines during the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Seine River in Paris underwent massive rehabilitation efforts to make it swimmable for the first time in nearly a century. Benjamin RAIGNEAU, Head of Sanitation and Water for the City of Paris, will join this event as a keynote speaker, and will guide attendees through the ecological transformation and learnings from the Seine. Through this online event, International RiverFoundation aims to connect stakeholders from across the globe in a dialogue about the role of rivers in building sustainable, swimmable, and tourist-friendly urban environments. The event will focus on the importance of river revitalisation for city livability and the global trend towards reclaiming rivers as natural and recreational assets. #swimmablecities #RightToSwim #NatureRights #waterwiseeu

It is about people’s love of the river’: swimming group fighting for rights in the Avon (UK) Founded in 2021, Conham Bathing is a campaign group composed of swimmers and Bristol residents working to tackle the pollution crisis in the River Avon. They are working to apply for Designated Bathing Water Status at Conham River Park & Eastwood Farm Nature Reserve just outside the centre. Their experienced and passionate small female-led campaign group is working to secure a better future for rivers in Bristol, improve access to nature and campaign for the rights of rivers. The group’s love for the river and fight for bathing water quality status has been captured in a feature-length documentary Rave On for the Avon: https://lnkd.in/eHVgbWB3 Read all about them in this wonderful The Guardian article by Jamie Grierson starring the powerful Charlotte Sawyer, Aggie Nyagari-Salt , Rebecca Blease, Emma Nicol and Eva Perrin. https://lnkd.in/e4fW-yM2 #swimmablecities #RightToSwim #NatureRights

We are so excited to bring you our 5th water story. In 'reflection' we meet mother and daughter Julie and Amy from Bristol. They reflect on their journey into swimming and how important it has been for their health and wellbeing. Julie was inspired to learn how to swim with Open Minds Active CIC and this summer swam outdoors for the first time, proving you are never too old to learn and reap the benefits from swimming outdoors. Huge thanks to both Julie and Amy for sharing their story and thanks to our partners Orca for making this possible. Thanks also to all the staff at Henleaze lake who always make us feel so welcome. Finally a big shout out to our friend and visual storyteller Charlie Pinder for working his watery magic. Take a few moments for yourself this morning and watch with your cuppa. Please share and let us know what you think 😊 https://lnkd.in/e5RwvnW6 Sport England National Academy for Social Prescribing Wesport CSP Orca SOUL CAP Mark Hubbard Natural England Leanne Anyinsah Steve Nelson The Black Swimming Association (BSA) Swim England Outdoor Swimmer Lisa Wood The Wave Friends of Jubilee Pool (Bristol) Limited Bristol Girls Can This Girl Can Louise Harris Louise Duggan Libby Jordan

How can Brussels become a member of the Swimmable Cities? The vision for Becobad, a 350-meter-long swimming zone in the canal, is an exciting and ambitious scenario. The project enters a new phase: Beliris published the call for a feasibility study to investigate in greater detail whether and how the Becobad can be realized, as well as how it can be combined with the previous idea of deepening the quay walls at the dock to redesign the canal’s southeastern bank as a welcoming public space. We are very happy about this announcement and open to collaborate to make it happen. Read in a new blog post on our website about our opinion on the project and the necessary steps to take, involving prefigurations and prototypes for a thorough participation process: https://lnkd.in/e45w9fe3 Contact us to explore possibilities for collaboration if you’re interested in forming a team. Pictures by KIS Studio with Sweco and Imperfect*, Beliris and POOL IS COOL #pooliscool #swimmablecities #brussels #outdoorswimming #canal #becobad #bassinbeco #becodok #participation #prefiguration #prototype