Public Space, Adaptive Reuse, and Social Cohesion in Venice's Castello A Comparative Study of Institutional and Grassroots Urban Regeneration

This essay investigates the contemporary meaning of public space and its critical connection to social cohesion, local belonging, and the "right to the city" for the residents of Venice, taking into account the constant threats Venetian public life faces. The paper centers on the spatial and socioeconomic transformation of the Castello sestiere, investigating the latest changes in local accessibility and livability, while simultaneously evaluating the feasibility of new models to recover the local social network.
Through a comparative analysis supported by qualitative interviews and an examination of specific policy frameworks, this research evaluates how underutilized, restricted, but once highly symbolic sites can be reclaimed for public benefit through two distinct approaches to adaptive reuse. It contrasts the grassroots, bottom-up activism and tactical restoration spearheaded by the Salviamo San Pietro e Sant'Anna campaign and its Sant’Anna Observatory with the institutional, socially-engaged cultural intervention of the Holy See’s 'Opera aperta' pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale. By evaluating these contrasting models, the study leverages the intersection of culture and urban design to demonstrate how architectural recovery can serve as a direct catalyst for social recovery. This finding argues for a necessary shift in cultural management and arts administration policies. Rather than prioritizing temporary showcase economies, such policies should pursue strategic investments that secure a permanent urban and social legacy for the community.
In doing so, the thesis reimagines the city not as a passive stage for global events, but as a living canvas where care for the existing urban fabric becomes the ultimate act of community resilience.