We will return to Paris for the 3-day conference from March 10-12, focused on the theme “(Re)Connecting River and City,” with the primary objective of accelerating innovation and enhancing citizen participation in urban water use and bathing water quality.
The conference, organized by Sorbonne University and partners, will focus on reconnecting cities with water bodies, using the Seine in Paris as a case study. The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics activated historical relationships of the city with the river including a rethinking of the Seine as swimmable river and heart of the city  . The event will emphasize the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration and the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach to promote climate resilience in World Heritage Cities.
As part of the symposium a special round table will be organized during the conference on 10 March, focusing on the theme of Swimmable Cities. The discussion will focus on the role of sport as a catalyst for innovation and the broader impact on urban water management. Paris will be used as a case study, partly because of the transformation of the Seine as a bathing water in the run-up to the Olympic Games. Director Tilly Stroo will represent Wavemakers United during the round the table.
As an ally of ‘Swimmable cities’ we hope to discuss their role in accelerating swimmable cities to support the growth of a global movement for transforming urban water ways. We support the first Swimmable Cities Summit, held in Rotterdam the Netherlands 22-24 of June 2025 and aim to accelerate waterway restoration and water quality.
