Designing for a city with a deep connection to the water: Reconnecting Sydney to its waters with equity, safety, and place

Equity by Design: Making Water Access Inclusive

One of the fundamental realities we must acknowledge is that not everyone grows up learning how to swim—and not everyone feels safe or welcome around water. Barriers to swimming can be cultural, physical, geographic, or economic. For many communities, particularly those in inland or underserved areas, access to safe, well-designed places to swim is limited or non-existent. As designers, this presents both a challenge and a responsibility: to ensure that public access to water is inclusive, equitable, and tailored to the diverse needs of the people who use it.

For some people, access to water may be culturally unfamiliar or physically intimidating. Traditional water access points may not accommodate the diverse needs of all users. And for communities in Western Sydney, the nearest swimmable water may be a long, hot train ride away.

This inequity is not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous. Research shows that people who lack safe, supervised places to learn and practice swimming are more likely to engage in risky behaviour in informal or unsafe locations.

While the natural beauty of a riverbend or harbour edge may be visually compelling, safe and inclusive access doesn’t happen by accident, it must be thoughtfully designed. The challenge lies in creating welcoming, functional spaces that offer a strong sense of place for all users, while honouring the unique character, ecology, and cultural significance of each site. Good design doesn’t dominate or diminish these landscapes—it works in harmony with them. Our responsibility as designers is to ensure that, in making these places safer and more accessible, we also preserve and celebrate their natural essence.