Outdoor Swimmer joins the Swimmable Cities Alliance

We’re excited to announce that Outdoor Swimmer Magazine has been confirmed as an official Signatory to the Swimmable Cities Charter, joining a global drive to restore urban waterways and make them safe, clean, and accessible for swimming

Outdoor Swimmer is thrilled to announce that it has joined the Swimmable Cities Alliance, joining a global alliance of over 225 organisations, across 210+ cities and communities, and 37+ countries to restore urban waterways and make them safe, clean, and accessible for swimming.

By becoming a Signatory to the Swimmable Cities Charter, Outdoor Swimmer is showing a public commitment to working in accordance with its principles and the values of the urban swimming movement. In particular, Outdoor Swimmer stands for the #RightToSwim, which means safe, healthy and swimmable waterways being accessible to all people. It’s voluntary but we wholeheartedly expect you, our peers and stakeholders (including Nature!) to keep us accountable.

A grassroots movement

Swimmable Cities was launched in July 2024 to encourage cities across the world to deliver safe, healthy and swimmable waterways accessible to all. The Charter, which has also been signed by the leaders of global cities, including the Mayor of London, Mayor of Paris and Mayor of Portland, aims to attract talent and investment, creating thriving waterfronts and communities.

Beginning as a grassroots movement, Swimmable Cities’ ambition is to support 300 cities in starting their journey towards swimmability by 2030, by giving cities a platform to measure progress and share best practices.

Swimmable Cities: the urban swimming movement

Here are the Founding Principles of the Swimmable Cities movement:

1. THE RIGHT TO SWIM: 

Safe, healthy and swimmable waterways should be accessible to all people. 

2. ONE HEALTH, MANY SWIMMERS: 

Swimmable urban waterways are vital to the liveability of cities and communities, as shared civic places that promote the health of people 

3. URBAN SWIMMING CULTURE: 

Urban swimming culture is a unique expression of life in cities and communities, reflecting the distinct interplay of sports, recreation and tourism. 

4. WATER IS SACRED: 

Urban swimming should celebrate natural waterways as living, integrated entities that nurture communities, promoting universal accessibility and peaceful coexistence inclusive of religious, cultural and gender diversity. 

5. REWRITING THE RULES: 

Urban waterway swimming should become part of a new status quo in public access standards with governing authorities swiftly amending legal and regulatory frameworks to enable citizens access to its benefits. 

6. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN SWIMMING PLACES: 

Urban swimming places and experiences should be planned, designed, made and operated through inclusive, integrated water management approaches. 

7. RECONNECTION & RESILIENCE: 

Urban swimming places and experiences should be invested in as an innovative way to enable resilient communities to adapt and thrive in a changing global climate, environment and economy. 

8. NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES 

Urban swimming development models should balance social, cultural, ecological and economic values, creating new jobs, careers and livelihoods in regenerative professions and industries. 

9. SHARING WELLBEING BENEFITS, CULTURE & KNOWLEDGE: 

Urban swimming should create wellbeing benefits to local citizens, ecosystems and economies; enhanced by the respectful sharing of Indigenous, traditional and Western water culture knowledge. 

10. STEWARDSHIP FOR TODAY, TOMORROW & FUTURE GENERATIONS: 

Urban swimmers are stewards responsible for protecting the health of their local waterways, working alongside Mother Earth’s closest carers, such as Indigenous peoples, rangers and waterkeepers as well as urbanists, architects, social changemakers, educators and policy-makers.

Find out more about the Swimmable Cities Allliance at swimmablecities.org

Lead photo taken at the Swimmable Cities Summit in June 2025, by Jan De Groen