Not just the Seine: European cities want to become swimmable
Environment — di Simone Santi
Not just the Seine: a growing number of European cities, united in the Swimmable Cities network, are working to make their urban waterways safe for swimming
Not just the Seine: European cities want to become swimmable
Not just the Seine: a growing number of European cities, united in the Swimmable Cities network, are working to make their urban waterways safe for swimming
Could swimming in city rivers truly become a common habit again in Europe? Leading this urban revolution — already partly a reality in Paris with the Seine — is an ever-growing network of European cities that, through investment, planning and civic participation, is trying to transform waterways from receptacles of bacteria and urban discharge into safe, swimmable public spaces. And in Italy, Rome too, inspired by the Parisian model, wants to join this change, with an ambitious dream: to once again make the Tiber a place where, one day, it will be possible to take a dip — as it was until half a century ago, as Pierpaolo Pasolini reminds us, for instance, in his Ragazzi di Vita.
The global Swimmable Cities summit held in Rotterdam at the end of last June brought together more than 200 delegates from 20 countries. The shared goal is clear: to rethink the relationship between citizens and rivers, promoting the right to safe and free access to urban water. "When a city is swimmable, it is also more equitable, healthy and resilient," Matt Sykes, co-founder of the Swimmable Cities alliance, explained to the Guardian. The alliance aims to establish international standards for urban swimmability.
From the Seine to Copenhagen: cities that inspire
The Parisian model has set a benchmark: ahead of the 2024 Olympics, the French capital built collection basins and new filtration systems, opening up swimming in the very heart of the city. In truth, last summer some issues did arise with athletes competing in the Olympic swimming events, but for the summer of 2025 Paris has fine-tuned its approach and relaunched the experiment.
In Copenhagen, where water quality has been monitored in real time for years, swimming in the harbours is now a daily activity, thanks to floating pools, urban saunas and dedicated apps. Berlin too, with the Flussbad project on the Spree, and Swiss cities such as Zurich and Basel, have made their rivers an integral part of urban public space. The Rotterdam summit, hosted at the Rijnhaven — a former industrial port now converted into a swimmable area — demonstrated what is possible: diving boards, floating pontoons and citizens swimming in the heart of the city. "This is not just about swimming," said deputy mayor Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer, "but about rebuilding a cultural and sustainable relationship with water."
The swimmable cities movement is set to grow. The Swimmable Cities network aims to create shared standards for swimmability, taking into account not only water quality but also accessibility, biodiversity and the social value of waterways. Access to water is seen not merely as an environmental issue, but as a civic and cultural right.
Rome is thinking ahead to the next Jubilee
Tevere balneabile, per la Senna a Parigi ci sono voluti 8 anni di lavori e 1,4 miliardi roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2025/0…
Rome is currently watching these experiences from afar, but is beginning to ask itself how to close the gap. The Tiber too — today perceived as a barrier or a scenic backdrop — could one day become a place of gathering and wellbeing, as is already the case elsewhere. The Campidoglio has taken the first steps to explore the possibility of making the river swimmable, drawing directly on Paris as a model. The mayor has tasked Environment Councillor Sabrina Alfonsi with setting up a technical working group involving Arpa Lazio, the Lazio Region, the Ministry of the Environment, the River Basin Authority and the Metropolitan City of Rome, in order to establish a scientific and operational roadmap. At present there is no executive project or funded plan, but according to estimates, the opportunity to launch the works could arise in 2033, in conjunction with the Extraordinary Jubilee. The first step will be the remediation of sewage and industrial discharges, particularly along the Aniene, a tributary of the Tiber. The aim is to reduce bacterial contamination and improve water quality. The costs, however, will be substantial. Paris, for instance, allocated around 1.4 billion euros to the recovery of the Seine — a project that is still not complete.