Swimmable Cities’ Matt Sykes on the #RightToSwim and the Role of Mayors

Swimmable Cities is a grassroots alliance empowering actors, activists and decision-makers in the urban swimming movement. With Mayor Hidalgo’s recent dip in the River Seine in Paris, and the Swimmable Cities alliance launching its ten point charter, we asked founding member Matt Sykes of Regeneration Projects in Melbourne, about the international network and its plans for making our urban waterways clean, safe and welcoming.

Why should we care about swimming in the rivers, canals, lakes and harbours in our cities?

Being able to swim close to home improves our quality of life. The alliance is founded around the belief that the wellbeing of urban communities and the health of our waterways are deeply interconnected. It becomes an issue of social justice, equity and resilience when we factor in the climate crisis and increasing heat waves. Our hashtag is #RightToSwim – everyone should have safe and healthy access to swimmable waterways.

What impact do you think Anne Hidalgo’s swim in the Seine has had on the popular perception of urban swimming?

It's massively symbolic for the movement! Mayor Hidalgo entering the Seine is such an important moment for the City of Paris, which has worked over a decade and committed billions of Euros to making the river swimmable. A whole generation of children and young people have been exposed to this radically simple idea of being able to swim in their city. That's powerful! Her swim also encouraged other Mayors to step up and think about what they can do in their City. Sadiq Khan has set a goal of the Thames being swimmable by 2034. In the City of Yarra in Melbourne the Mayor signed a charter on behalf of that community after his first swim on World Bathing Day in June. So, you see, change is already taking place. We need more Mayors to have these kinds of personal experiences.

How has Swimmable Cities alliance evolved in the last year or so?

The publication in 2023 of a Swimmable Cities Handbook supported by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration was a moment of convergence for the many activities and actors in what is a growing international movement. Based on the success of that we formed a Steering Committee, made up of five members active in Vienna, London, Berlin, Marseille and myself in Melbourne. The idea for a Charter arose as a way to unite the movement in the build up to the Paris Olympics. It's our first collective action and we have had a great response.

What are you hoping to achieve with the charter?

First and foremost, establish a set of common principles for decision-making which align to international frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Biodiversity Framework. Secondly, to acknowledge swimmable cities that are already operating with these kinds of principles - like Copenhagen, Basel and Sydney - as well as to provide an accessible entry point for aspiring and emerging swimmable cities, such as New York, London, Johannesburg and Melbourne. Both these goals aim to build a community and foster knowledge-sharing and collaboration. That's already happening through our online events and social media exposure. By expanding the network and our growing our influence, we hope to attract funding so that we can unlock restoration projects, working with cities to clean rivers, build infrastructure and get people in the water.

What’s next for the alliance?

We are working on plans for a Swimmable Cities Summit in Paris in 2025 and have the support of the Deputy Mayor. We also have a goal to have 30 flagship swimmable cities by 2030, and 300 “next gen” cities starting their journey to swimmability by then. This is where partnerships, including with climate and community-focussed foundations, will be key. We're proving that Swimmable Cities is a legitimate pathway for climate and biodiversity action. We are aiming to have 3,000 signatories to the Charter too.

Where is your own favourite place to swim?

The historic Deep Rock Swimming Hole along the Birrarung/ Yarra River in Melbourne is magical – it’s just 5 kilometres from the heart of the city but is a very natural place to swim. A swimming club was originally established here in 1906, and now it's like the heart of Melbourne's swimmable cities movement, with a strong sense of community and dedicated people reviving our urban swimming culture.