Would You Jump Into Your Local River? Swimmable Cities Ma...

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: Efforts to improve the “swimmability” of urban areas are gaining global traction, from Paris to Chicago Would You Jump Into Your Local River?

Swimmable Cities May Be Within Reach as Once-Polluted Waterways Are Restored Efforts to improve the “swimmability” of urban areas are gaining global traction, from Paris to Chicago Mary Randolph - Correspondent Get our ! Swimmable Cities is a global alliance of local government officials, the experts and advocates working to make urban waterways clean enough to swim in. (we’re not making this up)

Jan de Groen / Swimmable Cities When government officials, environmental leaders, entrepreneurs and researchers gathered in the Netherlands last summer for an important summit, the first order of business was cannonballs.

The Details

“We asked people to register, and then we dropped, ‘Get in your bathers, we’re going for a swim,’” says Matthew Sykes , co-founder of the global alliance Swimmable Cities, which hosted the event. “We had 200 people that didn’t know each other jumping into the Rotterdam harbor in waves and basically turning into playful children.

” For many people, leaping into a body of water on the edge of a major urban area might spark revulsion. But Swimmable Cities aims to get people to do just that.

Why This Matters

The group brings together everyone involved and the experts from all over the world to knowledge about making urban waterways clean enough to swim in. The Rotterdam gathering, which included representatives from more than 20 countries, was the organization’s first summit. Participants at the Swimmable Cities Summit in June 2025 leap into the harbor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

The Bottom Line

Its appeal is broad—the coalition, which began in 2023, spans governments, utilities, businesses, academics, swimmers, nonprofits and beyond, and it already represents 100 cities. Sykes says he hopes to bring that number to 300 by 2030.

Are you here for this or nah?