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Dumpster pool in NYC in 2010
Photograph: Courtesy of the New York City Department of Transportation

Apparently, pop-up street pools could be a thing in NYC this summer

At least according to a new "Summer in the City" proposal.

Anna Rahmanan
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Anna Rahmanan
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This is a proposal we'll gladly get behind: New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Scott Stringer released his "Summer in the City" plans yesterday and there is one particular aspect of the document that has (rightfully) caught everyone's attention—pop-up street pools.

The agenda, which you can find in full right here, calls for "small, affordable swimming pools that can be dropped into vacant lots in any neighborhood." These "dumpster pools" would basically be mobile containers that are retrofitted for swimming, a not-entirely-new idea. The city did, in fact, host similar efforts on Fifth Avenue in the summer of 2010 and in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2013. 

The comptroller is also proposing the establishment of "+Pools," which would be larger floating ones actually sitting atop the city's waterways with the ability to filter water "to create safe swimming environments." He's got our approval on both plans.

Of course, the projects would majorly benefit those New Yorkers who don't have regular access to green spaces and can't easily reach nearby beaches. Speaking of bodies of water: Stringer's proposal also calls for the timely re-opening of beaches and pools—which is actually happening, as announced by current Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday—in addition to the launch of free day camps and swim lessons for kids, and the establishment of complimentary sunscreen dispensers in playgrounds, pools, parks and beaches all around town.

"Our kids and families are so desperate for fun, and we absolutely have to give that to them this summer," said Stringer in an official statement. "We need to open our pools and beaches as soon as possible this year, and we need to keep them open until the last day we can—and we need to bring the fun to every corner of the city with pop-up pools. For the long term, I believe that having + Pools in the city’s waterfront will create places for New Yorkers to swim that are unlike anything anywhere else in the world. With this plan, we’re going to give families the resources they need for a great summer day right here in New York City."

Are Stringer's suggestions actually feasible? Who knows. Will they be implemented? It's all up in the air and almost entirely dependent on the outcome of the Mayoral election, which isn't even going to happen until November 2, 2021. But here's to hoping that Mayor De Blasio will take a page out of Stringer's book and actually schedule for some creative projects to define New York this summer. 

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