Welcome to the SmartDest Venice Case Study REPOSITORY system!
Through this gateway (and the other connected web sites), you will be able to access all of the most significant results produced by SerenDPT as part of the SmartDest research project in 2019-2023.
The Venice Case study is led by SerenDPT srl-sb, a benefit company whose mission is to stimulate the emergence of sustainable local enterprises that will allow young people of all ages and Venetians of any origin to reside in the lagoon and to contribute to the creative vitality of the socio-economic fabric of the city. SerenDPT operates a startup incubator called H3 Factory in an ex-church (and ex-factory) on the Giudecca island in Venice.
Venice’s population has dwindled from over 175.000 in 1951 to fewer than 50.000 in 2023, therefore the focus of our research is on the potential causes of the exclusion of residents from the Historic City and the Lagoon islands.
PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION
what forces have contributed to the exclusion of residents from the Historic City of Venice and the lagoon islands?
The Venice case study explored three hypotheses that may play a significant role in the exclusion of residents from the historic city of Venice (HC):
Job Diversity. Hypothesis: the concentration of jobs in tourism-related businesses in Venice has led to a disparity between the median wages and the cost-of-living in the city (living wages) and a scarcity of jobs in non-tourist sectors.
Housing. Hypothesis: the price vs. quality in Venetian housing, coupled with the aforementioned inadequate salaries, have made it difficult for Venetians to continue to live in their native city or for new citizens to enter the HC.
Mobility. Hypothesis: while Venice retains a high-quality of living, it has failed to attract new inhabitants due in part to the slow nature of its waterborne transportation which, coupled with lack of car parking facilities for residents, represents a serious obstacle for business development, or for commuting in and out of the city, despite the potential for remote working enhanced by the covid crisis.