Venice Is Not Dying
A Collective Book
open access
- Maurizio Busacca - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email orcid profile
- Beatrice Gervasi - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email
- Eleonora Girotti - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email
- Emma Maria Rossi - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email
Abstract
This collective book challenges the pervasive narrative of a dying Venice, arguing instead that the city is experiencing a profound crisis from which signs of rebirth are emerging. Through a collection of four essays, the volume investigates the ‘wicked problems’ facing the city, from overtourism and depopulation to environmental degradation and social inequality. Adopting interdisciplinary perspectives, the authors apply critical theoretical frameworks to analyze how global market forces impact the local urban fabric. The book moves beyond diagnosis to explore tangible forms of resistance and alternative pathways. Case studies on the resilient neighborhood of Santa Marta and the work of social cooperatives integrating inmates into the local economy showcase bottom-up initiatives that foster social infrastructure, inclusion, and a more sustainable urban life. Ultimately, Venice Is Not Dying presents a counter-narrative of a city actively fighting for its future, highlighting the vital role of community, social innovation, and the reclamation of urban space as a living, inhabitable place rather than a mere tourist commodity. Born from the “Economic Sociology” course held by Professor Busacca within the PISE (Philosophy, International Studies, and Economics) program at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and written with three talented students, this collective book is the result of a pedagogical approach to teaching economic sociology inspired by pragmatism and experimentalism, where sociology becomes a source of practical solutions to real problems.
Keywords Problem-solving sociology • Overtourism • Urban resilience • Venice • Urban anthropology • Community • Social innovation • Social cooperatives
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-990-0 | e-ISBN 978-88-6969-990-0 | Published Nov. 25, 2025 | Submitted Sept. 24, 2025 | Language en
Copyright © 2025 Maurizio Busacca, Beatrice Gervasi, Eleonora Girotti, Emma Maria Rossi. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.