Venice’s Assemblage: Infrastructural Resilience and Sense of Community in Times of Crisis

Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez¹, Charles Walker¹, Andrew Burgess¹

1. Auckland University of Technology

Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 1603 to 1618. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_153.

Abstract

This research presents Venice as a paradigmatic example of urban resilience, interpreted through the lens of assemblage theory with a focus on the city’s adaptive response during the acqua alta 2019. Using a blend of agential realism and diffractive methodology, this study examines the interrelation between temporary appropriation (TA) of public spaces and the community’s resilience within Venice’s unique infrastructural system. The analysis elucidates how Venice’s human-scale urban structure, complex cultural assemblages, and robust social cohesion form a resilient mesh that adeptly managed the exigencies of acqua alta. This research spotlights TA as a pivotal mechanism by which Venice’s socio-spatial dynamics are maintained, highlighting the city’s capability to cope with and adapt to public health crises. The findings advocate for a nuanced understanding of the emergent TAs as a stabilising force within the urban assemblage, offering critical insights into fostering community solidarity and urban sustainability. This submission urges a multidisciplinary recognition of the intricate connections between architecture, anthropology, and the broader societal context, particularly in the conservation and progression of living heritage cities like Venice.

Keywords

Session

Presented in Track C, Friday 8 November 2024, 11:00 to 13:00, room WG 1001, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi.

How to Cite

Lara-Hernandez, J. A., Walker, C., & Burgess, A. (2025). Venice’s Assemblage: Infrastructural Resilience and Sense of Community in Times of Crisis. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 1603–1618). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_153

About the Conference

Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.