Wasting and Reclaiming in the Venice Lagoon: Participatory Action Research for the Protection of the San Giuliano Park in Mestre

San Giuliano is a park situated in the north-east of the Venice Lagoon, on a peninsula stretching out from the city of Mestre into the water. Opened in 2004, it has been and still is object of speculation projects from privates and the municipality, and a citizens’ association was born to protect it and make sure it remains a public urban park and a connecting public space between city and lagoon. In this dissertation, I reflect on the question: what moves people to mobilise for this park? In the first chapter, I trace the history of the area in the 20th century within the wider history of Mestre-Venice, focusing on the rapid urbanisation of the city in the 50s and 60s and the usage of the San Giuliano peninsula as urban and industrial waste dump and refugee camp. In the second chapter, I discuss the dream for a park in San Giuliano, environmental sensibilities in the city, and the birth of the Amici del Parco di San Giuliano association. The third chapter is an account of a participatory action research project constructed and put into practice with members of the association, which gives a picture of the association today, what medium-long term objectives it gives itself, and what steps it needs to take to involve others. The methodology I used is ethnographic research as member of the association, interviews, and participatory action research.