Venice turns the page: public goods are worth much more than hit-and-run tourism.

The dossier “ Venice, no longer Serenissima ” describes a city that has lost its development trajectory and is at risk of definitively losing its relationship with its inhabitants (or rather, the inhabitants themselves).

The problem isn't just overtourism, but a systemic short circuit: schools closing, healthcare services declining, housing unaffordable, job opportunities concentrated in a few low-skilled professions, almost all related to tourism. In this sense , the city finds itself in a situation similar to that of many inland areas. A paradox that's hard to understand and accept. But the sooner we do it, the better .

Venice has progressively lost its productive and manufacturing base, without consolidating new development paths. The result, at least on the surface, is an extractive tourism monoculture that risks stifling the glimmers of hope emerging around economies of knowledge, creativity, and culture.

The result is a city no longer able to retain its residents, especially young people aged 25-35—the demographic that contributes most to long-term growth. They are the notable absentees, driven out by unsustainable prices and a job market with few prospects.

Thus, the world's most iconic city is emptying. Alessia Zabatino and Elena Ostanel show us the main risk Venice faces: becoming a destination. And that's it. A fate that isn't inevitable, if we return to investing in sectors capable of generating skilled jobs and plan investments in spaces and services capable of reducing inequalities and reducing market pressures, decommodifying.

Venice itself should not be viewed solely within its administrative boundaries. It can and must function as the driving force of a broader network in the Northeast , a region boasting universities, manufacturing companies, research centers, and cultural institutions capable of connecting the city to knowledge-intensive global value chains.

It's not about inventing a new vocation from scratch, but about connecting and enhancing what already exists: high-quality craftsmanship, the maritime economy, environmental innovation, digital culture. Emphasizing that urban development is never solely the result of markets and institutions . It depends on collective action: on how well institutions, businesses, and civil society can cooperate to build collective goods for the community.

In this sense, the dossier makes an important contribution: mapping the activist networks already fighting for housing, healthcare, education, and the environment. They are the starting point for a new phase in Venice: spaces for proposals and communities that resist and can become the hubs of inclusive governance.

The key question remains: what conditions can convince a young person between 25 and 35 to stay or choose Venice to build their life project? Affordable housing, skilled employment, quality services, cultural and community spaces .

We know it's not just an economic problem, but also a social and relational one. Young people seek contexts in which they feel actively involved, not just users or spectators.

To achieve this, a two-pronged effort is needed: first, supporting the grassroots revitalization of the networks already mapped by VITA; second, extraordinary national and regional investment in public infrastructure and services, because no city can tackle a challenge of this magnitude alone.

Venice can return to being a generative city: capable of producing value for its residents, stimulating exchanges between East and West, and offering a future to those who choose it, not just for a weekend.

If you have a subscription, read Venezia, no longer Serenissima now , and thank you for your support. If you'd like to subscribe, you can do so at this link . We'll be launching the issue on Wednesday, September 24th at 6:30 pm at the Bocciofila San Sebastiano in the Dorsoduro district of Venice.

Top, photography by Rebe Adelaida on Unsplash