‘Swimmable cities’: old ambitions, fresh alliances

In a pièce de résistance for swimmable cities, Paris’s Seine river is opening to swimmers for the first time in 100 years. Starting in late June, three free public access points will offer “Parisians and visitors a unique summer experience in and around the legendary river,” according to a website post by the French tourism office.The French have pushed for swimming in the Seine since the 1980s. After the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics drew attention to the river’s pollution, the City of Light invested $1.5 billion in public works technology, including a massive underground stormwater overflow tank.We applaud this milestone and the movement that campaigns for swimmable cities as a universal human right. Many around the world agree. The Swimmable Cities alliance, founded in 2024, represents 72 cities and towns across 27 countries. By 2030, the nonprofit aims to sign 300 more cities to their charter and host three major summits in Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Copenhagen, Denmark, which likely has the cleanest urban river; and New York City. Politicians are getting on board, including London mayor Sadiq Khan, who, shortly after his 2024 reelection, pledged to make the Thames river swimmable by 2034. As earth rapidly urbanizes, with more than half of the world now living in cities, green spaces are crucial. As the alliance says on its website, “Swimmable urban waterways are vital to the livability of cities and communities, as shared civic places that promote the health of people (physically, mentally, spiritually) and the health of Mother Earth.”