VENICE

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The area of VENICE is about 412 square kilometers wide with C
population over 2,71,367 E
 INTRODUCTION
• The Floating city of Venice, one of the most C
extraordinary cities in the world was built on 118
islands in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon at the
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head of the Adriatic Sea in Northern Italy. T
•Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its Y
architecture and its artworks.
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 INTRODUCTION
•It is best known for the many waterways which criss- C
cross through it.
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•It incorporates a mix of transportation modes T
including pedestrian paths, a rail station, ports, and Y
internal water navigation, e.g. the canals.
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 HISTORY-VENICE
•Tradition and the available evidence have led C
several historians to agree that the original
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population of Venice consisted of refugees from
Roman cities near Venice such as Padua, Aquileia, T
Treviso, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) Y
and from the undefended countryside.
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•Some late Roman sources reveal the existence of E
fishermen on the islands in the original marshy
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lagoons. They were referred to as incolae lacunae
("lagoon dwellers"). I
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 HISTORY-VENICE
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• As the invasions continued across italy, more and E
more refugees joined the first settlers and the need to N
build a new city grew. I
•The famous city of venice was born on march 25th C
421 AD just the beginning of the long and rich history
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for venice.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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 HOW WAS VENICE BUILT
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• How venice was built is its most fascinating story.
•When the new settlers arrived on the islands around I
402 A.D. T
They were faced with the need for more space and Y
a stronger foundation to live on.
•They had to find ways to strengthen the islands, V
drain them, enlarge them and protect the fragile
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environment. so, they dug hundreds of canals and
shored up the banks with wood pilings. They used N
similar wood pilings as foundations for their buildings. I
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 HOW WAS VENICE BUILT
•The settlers pounded C
thousands of wooden piles I
into the mud, so close
together that they were
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touching. Then, they cut off Y
the tops and created solid
platforms for the V
foundations of their homes. E
•It’s hard to believe but N
there are many buildings in
venice today that are still
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standing on 1000 years old C
piles of wood. E
 HOW WAS VENICE BUILT
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A layer of plaster is I
applied to protect
the brick bonding
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A layer of plaster is E
applied to protect N
the brick bonding
Waterproofing I
Aggregate curb The canal goes as
partitions made
of metal pilings
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poured to sustain deep as 180cm at Utility for water E
embankment wall the centre
 VENICE-ZONING
The centro storico (historic centre) of Venice is made C
up of lots of islets and canals, forming what is I
basically one large island. T
The six central sestieri are:
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San Marco - the tourist hot-spot.
Cannaregio – entry point for most visitors to venice.
Castello – industrial hub. V
Dorsoduro – settlement founded by fisherman E
San Polo - a small area tucked into the top curve of N
the Grand Canal. It includes the busy Rialto markets. I
Santa Croce – named after the church of santa
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croce. Traversed by the grand canal
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 SESTIERI
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San Marco Cannaregio E
 SESTIERI
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Castello Dorsoduro
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San Polo Santa Croce E
 SHAPE OF A CITY
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•More than 200 original canals have been linked I
together to form a dense urban network on either T
side of the curving Grand Canal, which describes a Y
great backward S more than two miles long, from
the railway station to San Marco Basin in front of the
Doges’ Palace. Its width varies from about 100 to 225 V
feet (30 to 70 metres), and it is lined by buildings that E
once were the palaces of great merchant families N
and the public warehouses, or fondaci, used in I
foreign trade. C
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SHAPE OF A CITY
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 VENICE ARCHITECTURE
Venetian Gothic is the local variant architectural style
for Venice of Italian Gothic architecture With C
influence from both byzantine and Islamic forms I
overlaying a Latin Christian foundation. T
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 VENICE ARCHITECTURE
This masterpiece of Venetian architecture clearly C
employs some Islamic elements. The inflected arches I
of the façade’s windows give the palazzi a distinctive
Islamic feel.
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 VENICE ARCHITECTURE
With all the houses painted in bright colours making C
each street look like a rainbow, this Venetian island
town could be the most colourful in the world.
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 DETERMINENTS
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TOPOGRAPHY
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CLIMATE T
SOCIO CULTURAL FACTOR Y
ACTIVITY PATTERN
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MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES
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SYMBOLISM N
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 DETERMINANTS
1) TOPOGRAPHY:
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• The city of Venice is built on 118 small islands in the
Venetian lagoon in North-East Italy on Adriatic sea. I
• It is situated in the marshy Venetian Lagoon. The T
lagoon stretches along the shore, flanked by the Po Y
and Piave rivers.
• Covering an area V
of 414.57 sq km. E
• Venice is located N
at an elevation of I
just 1m above the
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sea level.
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 DETERMINANTS
2) CLIMATE: C
Venice has a I
humid subtropical T
climate, with cool Y
winters and very
warm summers.
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Average temperature in January is 3.3 degrees and
for July is 23 degrees.
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Precipitation is spread relatively evenly throughout C
the year, and averages 748 millimetres. E
 DETERMINANTS
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3) SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS:
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• As per 2009 census, 91.14% of the population T
comprises of Italians. Y
• The other largest group comprises mainly of
European who migrated to this place. V
• People predominantly are Roman Catholics. E
• There is also a very important and historic
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community of Jews reside here in an area called
Venetian Ghetto. I
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 DETERMINANTS
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Venetian ISLAMIC T
architectural style Y
DOGE’S PALACE
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• Venice has a vibrant and intriguing culture. I
• The city is famous for its venetian gothic C
architectural style, dating back to the 14th century.
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 DETERMINANTS
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• It is also the birthplace of the I
unique form of art known as T
Venetian School.
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• Every year, the Carnival N
of Venice is held here. I
When people wear the C
famed venetian masks. E
 DETERMINANTS
4) ACTIVITY PATTERN: C
• Waterways and canals are the core elements of I
transportation in Venice.
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• This in return attracts tourists from all over the
world to experience great artistic and cultural Y
importance of the floating city.
• The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a V
day(2007 estimates). E
• Known as the vaporetto, N
Venice's water bus system I
is the city’s major form of C
public transportation.
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 DETERMINANTS

• Venice was a major C

centre for commerce and I
trade, as it controlled a T
vast sea-empire. The city Y
also relies heavily on the
cruise business.
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MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES E
• More market for traditional industries – glass N
making, candles and scented soap.
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• More skilled craftsmen attracted to settle in
Venice. C
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 DETERMINANTS
5) MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES:
a) WOOD C
• The buildings in Venice were I
built upon wooden platforms T
that were supported by Y
wooden stakes (each
measuring 4 metres) driven
into the ground.
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b) BRICK N
• Medieval and renaissance venetians were drawn
to brick for its lightweight and economical
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characteristics and used it widely on the exteriors of C
houses, palaces and churches. E
 DETERMINANTS
• Many brick walls were covered in
a layer of stucco, created from C
crushed terracotta mixed with I
slaked lime and water, which T
acted as aesthetically pleasing Y
protective surfaces for the brick.
• The materials used in the construction of bridges are
STONE and BRICKWORK for the arch bridges and V
IRON and WOOD for the truss bridges. E
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 DETERMINANTS
• Istrian stone is one of the C
most durable materials
in venetian architecture,
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because of its durability T
it is well worth the time Y
and cost of
conservation work. V
• Its white colour made it a E
popular stone to contrast N
with coloured marbles, as I
can be seen on the
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facades of Doge’s
Palace. E
 DETERMINANTS
6) SYMBOLISM:
• The Italian harbour city of Venice is famous for its C
many canals and bridges. I
• It is also known as ‘the city of canals’ or ‘the floating T
city’. Y

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• THE LION OF SAINT MARK pictured in the form of a C
winged lion holding a bible, is the symbol of the city E
of Venice and formally of the Venetian Republic.
 URBAN VOCABULARY
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URBAN PATTERN I
URBAN GRAIN T
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URBAN TEXTURE
DENSITY V
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 URBAN VOCABULARY
 URBAN PATTERN C
•It incorporates a mix of transportation modes I
including pedestrian paths, a railway station and T
internal water navigation eg. The canals. Y
•Venice is “FROZEN” into its de-formed grid layout
which indicates a well defined and easily
understood neighbourhood pattern in venice. V
•Block sizes appear larger and more geometrically E
regular at the outer edges of the island and smaller N
towards the centre of the islands. I
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 URBAN VOCABULARY
 PATTERN
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 URBAN VOCABULARY
 URBAN GRAIN C
•Urban grain is essentially a description of pattern of I
block in an urban block. T
•Venice has fine Y
grain. Block sizes
appear larger and
more geometrically
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regular at the outer E
edges of the island N
and smaller towards I
the centre of the C
islands. E
 URBAN VOCABULARY
URBAN TEXTURE
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A city has uneven texture due to its building height. I
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DENSITY Y
URBAN DENSITY is a term used in urban planning to
refer to the no. of people inhabiting a given V
urbanised area, urban density is considered an E
important factor in understanding how city is N
function. I
Venice has high density urban environment with net C
density of 250-300 dwelling per hectare.
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 IMAGIBILITY OF A CITY
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 PATHWAYS
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DISTRICTS
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EDGES
NODES V
LANDMARK E
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
 PATHWAYS
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•Venice was designed to be experienced from the I
water. yet from the 14th century on it has been T
progressively acquiring a fascinating land
perspective.
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• Two separate networks that if experienced
together convey the whole picture. V
-WALK E
-ROW N
•Venetian style rowing is a very sustainable activity I
that many Venetians still practice abroad hand-
crafted traditional boats, like gondoliers do.
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IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
There are 118 islands which are connected by 444 C
bridges which helps peoplt to communicate from I
one island to another. T
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
DISTRICTS
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
DISTRICTS
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
EDGES
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•Like in other cities or I
towns the pathways or
road networks defines
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the natural edge of the Y
city.
•Similarly, in venice the V
water networks which is E
called “lagoons” in N
venice plays a very
crucial road in defining
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the edge of the city. C
•Eg- the Grand Canal E
 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
LANDMARK
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RIALTO BRIDGE BRIDGE OF SIGH I
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
LANDMARK
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DOGE’S PALACE ST. MARK’S BASILICA
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 IMAGEABILITY OF A CITY
NODES
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PIAZZA SAN MARCO MURANO ISLAND I
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 CHALLENGES FACED
1) CITY SINKING:
• Venice’s best known C
problem is the I
appearance that it’s T
sinking. According to the Y
British reports the lagoon
bed has sunk by 9 inches
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over the past century.
• This was caused by E
mainland industries N
pumping fresh water from I
the water table beneath C
the lagoon. E
 CHALLENGES FACED
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2) DECLINING I
POPULATION : T
• The native population
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of the Venetian city is
decreasing day by V
day, reason being E
a) the increase of cost of N
living, I
b) decrease of quality of
life
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 CHALLENGES FACED
c) Lack of spaces for the youth and of job C
opportunities, I
d) Staggering increase of the cost of housing
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3) FLOOD OF TOURIST:
• Increase in the flow V
of tourists is E
affecting the local N
businesses of the I
inhabitants. C
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 CHALLENGES FACED
4) FLOOD THREATS: C
• Rising tide levels inside the lagoon are resulting in I
Venice, becoming more frequently flooded three
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to four times a year and usually within the winter
months. Y

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 CHALLENGES FACED
5) WATER POLLUTION: C
The nation’s largest I
concentration of
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chemical plants
and the very large Y
agricultural region,
that surround the V
lagoon, are the E
main sources of N
pollution by
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dumping their
wastes directly into C
the basin. E
 CONCLUSION
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There is nothing on earth like Venice; a substantial I
high-density city without cars, their noise and T
pollution. The land is for people and the water is for Y
boats. The absence of cars allows a quiet and calm
presence of human culture and interaction. Venice
has city limits defined by nature and suburban V
sprawl is impossible. Building has been well E
managed and beautiful buildings grace each N
parish. It may be a living museum but Venice is also I
the very image of a liveable city C
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