The Role of Bottom-up Initiatives in Waterfront Development in Venice, Italy Case Study: The Venetian Arsenal

Sa？etak The paper explores the process of redevelopment of Venetian waterfront areas through the initiatives of the local civil and creative sector. The important aspect of the research is the investigation of the role of these initiatives in protecting the heritage and the common good from the dominantly commercial development and unsustainable forms of tourism. The hypothesis is that non-institutional initiatives have the capacity, as well as the need to protect and use underused heritage buildings, and that they can influence and improve the results of the activation of these places through providing the innovations that would contribute to adapting the current planning practice. The research methodology is qualitative and combined: the main research method was a case study of policy and practice related to the activation of the Venetian Arsenal. The research consisted of the review of previous research and literature, field work at the chosen location, participating in events related to the research topic, meetings with experts and interviews with relevant actors. The aims of the research were: to investigate the current policy and practice regarding the activation of unused waterfront sites; to explore the role of bottom-up initiatives in this process; to examine how the existing institutional framework relates to such innovative initiatives; and to examine the limitations of this process and the possibilities for its improvement