+ POOL
Urban Swimming: A New Age for New York
Name: Bassin de la Villette
Location: Paris, France
Launch date: July 18, 2017
Bassin de la Villette, Paris France
In 2017, the City of Paris opened three temporary floating pools in the Bassin de la Villette, after the waters were deemed clean enough for swimming following years of environmental reforms. “We promised!” tweeted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Thousands of Parisians have since enjoyed swimming in the city’s waterways, and global media again flagged Paris, the city of Vélib’ (which pre-dated Citi Bike) and the Promenade Plantée (which pre-dated the High Line), as an innovative leader that is sustainably and equitably reinvigorating urban life.
Le Bassin de la Villette is a free floating pool in Paris, made out of SunnyDock modular floating cubes and consisting of four pools of varying depths. The pool was built as part of the “Nager à Paris” project which came about in 2017 due to high demands for bathing areas in the Canal de l’Ourcq, which had been closed for swimming for nearly 60 years due to poor water quality. When the pool first opened, demand was so high that the maximum daily limit of visitors had to be doubled to 2,000 to meet the Parisians’ excitement. Careful monitoring of water quality and a team of six lifeguards help keep the many visitors safe and the pools open for all Parisians to enjoy.
Aside from swimming, Le Baignade de la Villette offers dance, tai-chi, yoga, water sports and a zipline, as well as some classics: table soccer, a merry-go-round and many other fun activities making it a favorite recreation space for Parisians of all ages and backgrounds.