With global attention on the Paris Olympics (and a swimmable Seine river), the newly launched Swimmable Cities Charter aims to harness this momentum for the good of our global rivers. Swimmable Birrarung Lead Convenor Charity Mosienyane explains. 

This month, the world’s best swimmers are set to dip their toes (and heads) into the River Seine while competing at the Paris Olympics. 

The decision to clean-up France’s most famous waterway in time for the Olympics is part of a growing global push to make urban waterways swimmable. 

Capturing this momentum at a time when three billion eyes will be watching, the Swimmable Cities Alliance and Charter has just launched – and it’s very exciting. 

What the heck is a Swimmable Cities Charter?

The Swimmable Cities Charter is the first collective action of Swimmable Cities, an international alliance of representatives passionate about urban waterway swimming and convened by Melbourne local Matt Sykes, founder of Regeneration Projects. 

The charter looks to build on this burgeoning “swimmable” movement. It presents a set of common principles to empower decision-makers, advocates and actors in their work with local natural waterways. “During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Australians successfully advocated for the protection of Tasmania’s Franklin River,” said Regen Project’s Matt Sykes when I spoke to him about the charter. “Now, in the 2010s and 2020s we have Melburnians standing up for the Birrarung/Yarra River. Paris is reminding the world what is possible and it’s our responsibility to leave a legacy for future generations.”

“Around the world, more urban waterways are becoming swimmable through the efforts of local community, business, industry and institutional interventions, and each city has a unique and inspiring story to share.”

So far there are already 31 cities around the world who have signed up, and Regen Melbourne is proud to be one of the founding signatories. Fellow local and national signatories include Yarra Pools, City of Yarra (the first Council in Australia to sign up to the charter), Sydney Water and Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG).

As a key actor and collaborator in the swimmable Birrarung | Yarra River landscape and Australian Bathing industry (in fact, he was the inaugural convenor for Regen Melbourne’s swimmable project), Matt is especially well-placed to assemble the charter. He has been actively involved in the urban swimming movement for several years and even published the Swimmable Cities Handbook. 

What exactly does a Swimmable Cities Charter do?

Lots. We like to think of it as a little tug boat guiding us safely across the water. Some of the most valuable things the Swimmable Cities Charter aims to do include:

• Offer an opportunity for the many actors in Australia working in the urban swimming movement to connect with a growing global community working towards transformation of local urban waterway.

• Demonstrate that it is possible to transform once-polluted and unhealthy urban waterways to healthy, thriving and swimmable status.

• Provide values, principles and practices for the multiple benefits swimmable urban waterways deliver, including: social/community cohesion, increased urban recreational activity, improved health and wellbeing, environmental, cultural, ecological and economic net gains.

• Provide a global platform to share knowledge, experiences, tools, and resources to advance the urban swimming movement

All great things, right?

How does the charter help our collective efforts for the swimmable Birrarung?

Around the world more urban waterways are becoming swimmable through the efforts of local community, business, industry and institutional interventions, and each city has a unique and inspiring story to share. And we want to hear them!

The fact that this is happening across the globe at the same time as it is happening here in Melbourne is both exciting and inspiring. It means we get to share our local stories and celebrate achievements at a local and global scale while extending our support and collaboration network. More minds all working together to transform our cities can only be a good thing.

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