The 5 best places to practice swimming 1:10
(CNN) -
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore laid out an ambitious plan that envisions the city's legendary harbor as a swimming pool.
"Swimming in the harbor is not a pipe dream. There are cities around the world that are tapping into their natural port assets rather than building more infrastructure," Moore wrote in his proposal, adapted from a speech he delivered at the World Innovation Festival. Sydney Water on October 18.
Moore's office commissioned Australian firm Andrew Burges Architects (ABA) to reimagine what Sydney Harbor might look like if there were accessible sections for the public to swim in.
His proposal mentions that both climate change and population growth will change the face of Sydney in the coming decades, and with the scarcity of green spaces, cleaning the harbor and making it suitable for recreational use could be a good way to give residents a way to cool off.
Some of the places that ABA considers suitable for swimming are Pirrama Park in Pyrmont and Beare Park in Elizabeth Bay.
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"This vision is based on improving water quality," added Moore.
"Parts of our port are heavily polluted and cleaning these waterways so they can be used for recreational purposes and to enhance biodiversity will require the cooperation of all levels of government."
The plan, which is still just a proposal, is inspired by a similar initiative in Copenhagen aimed at cleaning up the city's waterways and making them more accessible to ordinary people.
Its ambitious Waterfront Cultural Center, a 5,000-square-meter tribute to Copenhagen's port history, will feature indoor and outdoor public swimming pools.
Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates was awarded the contract to design the center.
No opening date has been announced yet.
In 2019, CNN Travel named the Danish capital the best city in the world for urban swimming.
The best cities in the world for swimming
Moore has been the mayor of Australia's largest city since 2004 and was the first woman elected to the position.
New South Wales, the state in which Sydney is located, has a stated goal of halving the use of fossil fuels by 2030.
"Our Net Zero plan is expected to attract more than $ 37 billion in private sector investment to New South Wales, supporting more than 9,000 jobs, saving households about $ 130 on their electricity bills and to help New South Wales become the first Australian state with a trillion dollars by 2030, "said the state's Prime Minister, Gladys Berejiklian last month.
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