New approaches to sustainable hazard management for Venice.

Bibliography: p. 17-18

Reprinted from The geographical journal; 1998; Vol. 164, no. 1; p. 1-18

Venice is suffering from flooding, pollution and the neglect of its famous urban fabric. The situation will worsen with sea-level rise relative to the land, as the Lagoon continues to evolve from a low-energy coastal marsh to a high-energy marine system. The proposed solution - a system of mobile gates - appears to be flawed in that it does not tackle some of the fundamental causes of these problems, or cope adequately with sea-level rise. For sustainability, what is needed is a more systematic review of policy options and communications. The authors' initial assessment suggests that what is required is, first, a medium- to long-term integrated catchment and coastal zone plan, implemented over 50 years or more, to tackle the pollution and the Lagoon's degraded morphology. Second, in the short to medium term (the next 50 years) small-scale local floodproofing works within Venice - designed to maintain the visual integrity of the city and be acceptable to its people - can alleviate much of the flooding, while the more long-term solution is implemented. That solution must involve the progressive reduction of the influence of the Adriatic on the Lagoon, to cushion against the flooding that it brings. To succeed, this approach will need new thinking, and new resources, skills and institutional arrangements