(CNN) — Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, has presented an ambitious plan that imagines the city’s legendary harbor as a swimming pool.
“Swimming in the harbor is no pipe dream. Cities around the world are turning to their natural harbor assets rather than building more infrastructure,” Moore wrote in her pitch, which was adapted from a speech she made at the Sydney Water Innovation Festival on October 18.
Moore’s office commissioned Australia-based Andrew Burges Architects (ABA) to reimagine what Sydney Harbor could look like if there were sections accessible for public swimming.
Some of the sites that ABA thinks would be good for public swimming are Pirrama Park in Pyrmont and Beare Park in Elizabeth Bay.
“This vision rests on improving water quality,” Moore added. “Some parts of our harbor are highly polluted and cleaning up these waterways so they can be used for recreation and to improve biodiversity will require cooperation across all levels of government.”
The plan, which is still just a proposal, was inspired by a similar initiative in Copenhagen aimed at cleaning up the city’s waterways and making them more accessible for regular people.
Moore has been lord mayor of Australia’s biggest city since 2004 and was the first woman elected to fill the role.
New South Wales, the state that is home to Sydney, has a stated goal to halve its use of fossil fuels by 2030.
Top image: A rendering of a floating pool in the Sydney Harbor. Credit: Andrew Burges Architects
CNN’s Angela Dewan contributed reporting.