The fall and rise of Venice as a sea port: Marine management, sustainability, and the economics of heritage

This paper considers the historical and contemporary role of Venice, Italy as a seaport, marine playground and aquatic community in Southern Europe. Venice is an urban enigma established on salt-clay marshes and a network of micro islands shaped by the currents and tides of the Adriatic, the Ionian Sea and the wider Mediterranean. Within Venice ecology, economics and culture are inextricably linked to the conflict between human and natural capital. Despite frequent attempts to neatly arrange the challenges in sustaining the city convenient categorical interest groups, the complexity, ambiguity and occasional hostility in implementing policies, suggests integrated management is elusive. The material presented below considers a general and specific theme: the ecological longevity of Venice and the historical and contemporary dilemmas between merchant agents navigating and traversing the waters and its impact on fall and rise of Venice. The study specifically seeks to explore four related points that primarily influence sustainability and commercial interests in Venice: 1) Venice as a port within an UNESCO designated site: 2) the environment and sustainability concerns facing Venice, including rising water, sinking foundations and water pollution, for example the control of emissions such as sulphur and the operations of sea defences such as MOSE; 3) the multifaceted uses of water in Venice for transportation, subsistence and culture; 4) the operation and management of motor powered vessels in domestic commercial and regional activities. KEYWORDS:* Venice * port development * urban and regional policy * sustainability * collaboration and coordination