The exhibition «Swim City», held at the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum from the 25th of May to the 29th of September 2019, is the first to draw attention to a particular contemporary phenomenon in urban space: river swimming as a mass movement. Swiss cities have played a leading role in the development of this activity over the last few decades, gradually opening up the river as a natural public space within the built environment. The river has thereby become a place of leisure, open to all, located right in front of residents’ doors and seamlessly integrated into everyday life. The rest of the world looks on in awe at this bathing culture, seeing it as an example of how waterways in cities can be reclaimed for the people in order to sustainably improve the quality of life in urban centers.
The river as public space
