AT L A S O F V E N I C E PART 3 MPHIL IN ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN FIELDWORK 2018 CAROLYN SMITH
Carolyn Smith Venice, Italy Cambridge Design Research Studio 2019 Unless otherwise stated, all images and graphics are the author’s own.
MARITTIMA ISLAND
PR
OJ
EC
TD
EV
EL
OP
ME
NT
SIT
E
TRONCHETTO ISLAND
CENTRO STO RI CO REFERENCE M AP 0
0.5 km
SANTA LUCIA TRAIN STATION MAIN ACCESS POINT TO THE CENTRO STORICO
RIALTO BRIDG TOURISM HOT SPO
GE OT
GIARDINI PRIMARY BIENNALE LOCATION
ARSENALE SECONDARY BIENNALE LOCATION
PIAZZA SAN MARCO MAIN TOURISM HOT SPOT
CURRENT CRUISE SHIP ROUTE MARITTIMA - ADRIATIC SAN SERVOLO HOME TO VIU
C H A P T E R T H E T H E
0 4
L I V I N G
V E N I C E
P E D E S T R I A N
C I T Y
Venice is renowned for its amphibious morphology but it is also one of the few pedestrian cities in the world: cars penetrate only as far as the western port area. As an example of a high density, human scale, urban edifice it is unparalleled. The city also has an exaggeratedly ageing population, yet residents seem to live longer, healthier, more mobile lives. It was beyond the scope of the fieldwork period to carry out a comprehensive study, but the following mapping exercise analyses the daily routine and walking pattern of ten residents, spanning the city’s demographic groups. It is far from exhaustive, but was highly informative; a golden insight into the lifestyles supported by such a singular city.
VENICE
CITY AT A HUMAN SCALE
0
FI G URE 1
0.25
0.5 km
CI TY G RAI N I N T H E T WI N C I T I E S
MESTRE
CITY CENTRED ON THE CAR
0
FIGURE 2
0.5 km
M APPI NG THE I NVI SI BLE C I T Y
COSIMO PIERANGELO ELEONORA CARLOTTA MARCO ELIZABETTA GIOVANNA FRANCESCO DONATELLA INGE RITA
This walking study is an attempt to map the invisible city. The interviews and conversations provided not only the information for the following maps but insights into each participant’s view of the city and modern life within it. The participants are split into demographic groups: those under 18, students, the ‘working age’ population, retired residents and the ‘elderly’ (which has been classed as those over 80). In recognition of the variability in the elderly category, an additional resident was interviewed within this demographic category.
01
COSIMO
Cosimo is 10 years old. He loves football and he’s quite good, even though his team lost the last game his team played 16:2. The distance he travels while running about during the games has not been included in the study. When Cosimo goes out, he usually has a destination in mind: either to school or to his next round of football practice. Cosimo is due to become something of a local celebrity: he will be featured in the new BMW Series 8 advert (due to air in 2019) that was recently shot in Venice. He doesn’t think this will affect his daily routine too much though.
DAY 1: WEEKDAY After walking to school in the morning most of the day is spent there. Once school is finished, at 4.30, Cosimo will walk home. After a snack, he sets off to football practice, walking first to Vaporetto stop Ospedale and taking it to Bacini, which is close to the football club. After football he returns home using the same route. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
4.4 km DAY 1 1
DAY 2: WEEKEND At the weekend, Cosimo heads to Mestre for a football match. He walks, with his Dad, to Piazzale Roma, where they catch the Tram to the terraferma. The Scuola Pacinotti playing fields are close to the tram stop. After the game, Cosimo will head home and spend the rest of the day at home. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
3.6 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 4 km FIGURE 3
WALKI NG W I TH CO SI M O
550m
SCHOOL
550m
HOME
3
1600m VAPORETTO STOP OSPEDALE
4
-
VAPORETTO STOP BACINI
5
50m
FOOTBALL CLUB
6
50m
(4) VAPORETTO STOP BACINI
7
-
(3) VAPORETTO STOP OSPEDALE
1600m HOME DAY 2 9
1300m TRAM STOP PIAZZALE ROMA
10
-
TRAM STOP CA’ ROSSA BISSUOLA
11
500m
SCUOLA PACINOTTI
12
500m
(10) TRAM STOP CA’ ROSSA BISSUOLA
13
-
(9) TRAM STOP PIAZZALE ROMA
1300m HOME
0
0.5 km
9
1
3
4 5
02
PIERANGELO
Despite being 18 years old, Pierangelo is still within the ‘child’ demographic as he’s still at school. He’s a keen sailor and his use of the city is very different to his younger brother’s, but he doesn’t frequent the same places as the local students, finding them unfriendly to people his age. The routes Pierangelo takes will vary depending on the weather; the places he meets friends and hangs out at the weekend will change depending on who’s around and wants to meet up. There usually isn’t a set plan for the day, they just wander as the mood takes them. Pierangelo and his friends make the most of the colder months to hang out in Piazza San Marco, when it’s not saturated with tourists. The places he chooses will therefore vary due to the seasons as well as the days of the week. The Saturday that we mapped was in October, just after the acqua alta, when the city was relatively empty.
DAY 1: WEEKDAY Weekday mornings begin with the long walk to school in Castello. Pierangelo and his friends will leave at lunchtime to get a toast at a cafe on Via Garibaldi before returning to school for the afternoon. After school, Pierangelo takes a slightly shorter route home by taking the vaporetto from Giardini to San Zaccaria and walking from there. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
6 km
DAY 1
DAY 2: WEEKEND Saturdays begin after lunch, when Pierangelo heads to Piazza San Marco to meet friends. They make the most of the winter months when the Piazza isn’t full of tourists to hang out in the Piazza. After a while, the friends head to Rialto to meet other members of the group. Once assembled, they walk to a restaurant near San Marco for dinner. They then visit two bars before heading home for the night. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
6.6 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 6.3 km FIGURE 4
WALKI NG W I TH PI ERANG E L O
1
2900m SCHOOL
2
700m
CAFE
3
700m
(1) SCHOOL
4
230m
VAPORETTO STOP GIARDINI
5
-
VAPORETTO STOP SAN ZACCARIA
1500m HOME DAY 2 7
1600m PIAZZA SAN MARCO
8
1300m RIALTO
9
750m
RESTAURANT
10
200m
BAR
11
1000m BAR 1700m HOME
0
0.5 km
8
7
9 10
5
11
2
4
1
03
ELEONORA
Eleonora is a 25 year old student at Ca’Foscari. She does American Studies with Sign Language and lives at home, with her family. To support herself while she studies, she works five half-days a week at the Disney Store at Rialto. As a final year student, Eleonora has a limited number of contact hours at university. When she does have lectures, they are in various locations. Whenever possible, Eleonora will choose to walk. She has a vaporetto pass but will only use it when visiting family on the estuario because walking is the Venetian way of life! Eleonora has lived in Cannaregio. As part of her studies, she spent a year abroad in Washington. She would like to maybe move back when she completes her studies, at least for a few years. She loves Venice, and thinks it’s a great place to raise a family, but it’s small and the opportunities here are limited. For now, she is drawn by the call of the big city.
DAY 1: WEEKDAY Most days begin with the morning commute to the shop where Eleonora works. She works for the morning and then heads to a university lecture. After class, she stops by Campo Santa Margherita for an apperitivo with her classmates as it’s close-by. She then walks home for dinner and goes out for a quiet drink with a friend in the evening. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
6.3 km DAY 1 1700m SHOP
2
1200m UNIVERSITY
3
DAY 2: WEEKEND
5.6 km
5
APPERITIVO
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 6.0 km WALKI NG W I TH ELEO NO RA
750m
BAR
270m
HOME
DAY 2 10
1700m (1) SHOP
11
600m
12
1900m GYM
13
650m
GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE
140m
HOME
300m
BAR
300m
HOME
16
FIGURE 5
300m
2100m HOME
After working the morning in the shop, Eleonora walks to the library at Querini Stampalia to make some progress with her studies. In the afternoon she heads to the gym and stops by her Grandma’s house on the way home. After dinner, she meets friends for a drink at a bar nearby. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
1
LIBRARY
0
0.5 km
3
13
2
15
12
5
1 11
04
C A R L O T TA
Carlotta is a 25 year old student at IUAV. She lives in a private house-share in the Ghetto Nuovo. She’s originally from San Marino and did a Bachelor’s degree in sociology in Bologna before coming to Venice for a two-year Master’s in urban planning. Unlike many, Carlotta never dreamed of living in Venice: she was initially reluctant but decided the move was worth it for the course at IUAV. She is just over halfway through her course and, when it’s finished, she hopes to move to Coventry (UK) for a research project on food supply chains and dynamics. Her course is intense so Carlotta spends the majority of her time at the university facilities in the Tolentini complex. In a day off from work, whenever she can manage to take one, she will usually head to Giudecca, particularly if it’s a weekend, to avoid the crowds.
DAY 1: WORKING DAY A normal day starts with the walk to university. Carlotta will then spend all day there, leaving to get lunch and dinner, before returning home. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
3.5 km DAY 1
2
650m
CAFE
3
650m
UNIVERSITY
4
100m
PIZZERIA
DAY 2
A day off starts in the afternoon. Carlotta eats lunch at home before heading to Giudecca via the Zattere - Palance vaporetto. She meets friends in Campo Junghans, going to a couple of the bars and cafes around the theatre. She then heads to Ca’ dei Tre Oci with a couple of friends to see the exhibition before heading home. She eats dinner at home before meeting friends closer to home, in a couple of bars in Cannaregio. 8.6 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 6.1 km FIGURE 6
1100m UNIVERSITY
1000m HOME
DAY 2: DAY OFF
TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
1
WALKI NG W I TH CARLO TTA
6
2600m VAPORETTO STOP ZATTERE
7
-
8
400m
---
VAPORETTO STOP GIUDECCA PALANCA CAMPO JUNGHANS
9
1100m CASA DEI TRE OCI
10
1100m (7) VAPORETTO STOP GIUDECCA PALANCA
11
-
---
(6) VAPORETTO STOP ZATTERE
2600m HOME 13
400m
BAR
14
140m
BAR
260m
HOME
0
0.5 km
4 1
2
7
8
6
13 12
9
04
MARCO
Marco is 27 and works as a physiotherapist. He does house visits one day of the week and works in a practice on the Lido for the remaining work days. When he has the opportunity, he makes the most of walking in Venice and will often not take the most direct route just to enjoy being outside. Marco doesn’t enjoy walking on the Lido, the roads are too long, straight and boring. Instead, Marco has a scooter, which he will use to shorten his commute when he’s working on the Lido. In his spare time, Marco is a long distance runner and he fits a visit with his coach into his Wednesday schedule of house visits to plan his training for the week. Marco is also taking a sommelier course in Mestre so that he can retrain and work in a high paying Venetian restaurant.
DAY 1
DAY 1: IN VENICE On Wednesdays, Marco visits his patients at home. The day begins with two appointment in Venice, a meeting with his coach at his house and another appointment, this time on Giudecca. Marco then returns home for lunch. After lunch, Marco takes two more appointments in Venice before heading to Piazzale Roma to catch the bus to Mestre, where he then walks to his sommelier class. Afterwards, Marco catches the bus back to Venice and walks home: he usually gets home around 11:45pm. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
14.1 km
DAY 2: ON THE LIDO On a normal weekday, Marco catches the vaporetto from Fondamenta Nove to the Lido and then uses his scooter to get to work. He takes lunch with him, eats in the practice and then returns home the way he arrived. If there is fog, his walking distance might increase slightly as he will have to get the vaporetto from San Zaccaria (near Piazza San Marco) but this usually only affects very early mornings in winter. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
0.7 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 7.4 km FIGURE 7
WALKI NG W I TH M ARCO
1
1100m APPOINTMENT
2
1000m APPOINTMENT
3
1700m COACH’S HOUSE
4
700m
VAPORETTO STOP ZATTERE
5
-
VAPORETTO STOP GIUDECCA PALANCA
6
170m
7
170m
(5) VAPORETTO STOP GIUDECCA PALANCA
8
-
(4) VAPORETTO STOP ZATTERE
---
---
APPOINTMENT
1900m HOME 10
600m
APPOINTMENT
11
140m
VAPORETTO STOP CA’ D’ORO
12
-
VAPORETTO STOP SAN STAE
13
400m
14
1500m PIAZZALE ROMA
15
-
16
1200m NOVOTEL
17
1200m BUS STOP CARPENEDO
18
-
---
---
---
APPOINTMENT
BUS STOP CARPENEDO
(14) PIAZZALE ROMA
2300m HOME DAY 2 20
350m
VAPORETTO STOP FONDAMENTA NOVE
21
-
VAPORETTO STOP LIDO
22
-
PRACTICE
23
-
VAPORETTO STOP LIDO
24
-
(20) VAPORETTO STOP FONDAMENTA NOVE
350m
HOME
0
0.5 km
14
6
5
4
2
3
12
1
13
11
10
20
05
E L I Z A B E T TA
Elizabetta is a 59 year old English teacher at a secondary school. She will often take the longer route, depending on the weather, her mood and the atmosphere of the city: taking the shortest route is not the best way to live in such a beautiful city and would mean missing out on so much it has to offer. Elizabetta grew up in Santa Croce and lived in Dorsoduro when she was younger but now lives in Castello. She bought her appartment in her fifteenth century building as part of Municipality’s ‘help to buy’ scheme in the 1990s and has lovingly restored it herself. She was initially hesistant about moving to Castello - it seemed so distant and disconnected from the city she knew so well - but it is now her favourite sestiere to live in. When she lived in Santa Croce she would often go to the mountains in her spare time as the train station was so close and accessible, but she now gets to walk most of the city when she visits friends and family and spends much more time exploring the intricate city than outside of it.
DAY 1: WEEKDAY During the week, Elizabetta will head first to teach at school. She comes home and eats lunch at home and then heads to the library within San Francesco della Vigna to mark papers and work. Later in the afternoon, she will drop her things at home before walking to her mother’s house in Santa Croce via the water fountain in Campo San Polo. They eat dinner together and then she stops in at her sister’s on the way home. She catches the Vaporetto from San Toma to San Zaccaria and then walks home from here. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
8.1 km
1
At the weekend, Elizabetta heads to the swimming pool via vaporetto. After her swim, she stops for pizza for lunch with a friend before taking a longer route home via Strada Nova, Misericordia and the vaporetto from Ospedale to Celestia. Later in the afternoon, she goes to the Giardino della Marinaressa to sit and watch the sunset and read. She then goes home for dinner and has an evening at home. 5.6 km
FIGURE 8
WALKI NG W I TH ELI ZABETTA
SCHOOL
300m
HOME
240m
LIBRARY
240m
HOME
5
2700m MUM’S HOUSE
6
270m
SISTER’S HOUSE
7
750m
VAPORETTO STOP SAN TOMA
-
VAPORETTO STOP SAN ZACCARIA
850m
HOME
10
400m
VAPORETTO STOP CELESTIA
11
-
VAPORETTO STOP SANT’ ALVISE
12
120m
SWIMMING POOL
13
550m
RESTAURANT
DAY 2
14
2000m VAPORETTO STOP OSPEDALE
15
-
(10) VAPORETTO STOP CELESTIA
400m
HOME
16
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 6.9 km
300m
3
8
DAY 2: WEEKEND
TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
DAY 1
1000m GIARDINO 1000m HOME
0
0.5 km
5
6
7
12
13
11
8
14
1
3
10
16
07
G I O VA N N A
Giovanna is 75 and currently works as a full-time grandmother: her true vocation. Most of her walking involves dropping off and collecting her grandson from his various commitments and she lives on the third floor so the coming and going is good exercise in itself. Most of the household grocery shopping is done by her maid, but she will still shop for odds and ends. She also has a small dog who requires walking. Giovanna also owns a vineyard on the terraferma, so she spends as much time in the countryside as possible. This provides a nice counterpoint to urban life in Venice. She still uses the traghetti but they are becoming too few and far between. If they were brought back as a method of travel it could relieve pressure on the vaporetto services and reduce not only the harmful emissions but the frequency of the waves which are damaging to the foundations of the historic palazzi. There used to be a traghetto stop close to her home, but she now has to walk to the San Toma crossing point.
DAY 1
DAY 1: IN VENICE
6.8 km
DAY 2: TO THE COUNTRY When Giovanna is not needed for grandmother duties, she is often in the countryside, where she owns a vineyard. She takes the San Toma traghetto and walks to Piazzale Roma, where she collects her car and drives to the terraferma. She spends 5 / 6 hours at the vineyard, walking and cycling, before returning home the same way she left. The distance she walks while at the vineyard has not be possible to calculate and so has been left out of the calculation, resulting in a much lower total. The app on her phone estimates that on these days she does around 7 km of walking. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
2.9 km (7 km)
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 6.9 km FIGURE 9
500m
SCHOOL
2
450m
SHOP
550m
GALLERY
3
When Giovanna is working as a grandmother in Venice, she starts by taking her grandson to school. She takes the dog so takes a long route home, stopping for some shopping in Campo Santa Margherita and walking via a gallery and along Zattere. She will be back home by 9am. Her sister visits her for lunch and she walks with her, via the traghetto at San Toma, to the bank before returning home. Giovanna then goes to collect her grandson from school and take him back to her house. After a few hours, she takes him to catechismo and she returns to collect him after an hour. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
1
WALKI NG W I TH G I O VANNA
1100m HOME 5
440m
TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SM)
6
-
TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SP)
7
450m
BANK
8
450m
(6) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SP)
9
-
(5) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SM)
440m
HOME
500m
(1) SCHOOL
500m
HOME
350m
CATECHISMO
350m
HOME
350m
(12) CATECHISMO
350m
HOME
16
450m
(5) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SM)
17
-
(6) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SP)
18
1000m PIAZZALE ROMA CAR PARK
19
-
20
- --
21
1000m (6) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SP)
22
-
(5) TRAGHETTO STOP SAN TOMA (SM)
450m
HOME
10
12
14
DAY 2
VINEYARD -
(18) PIAZZALE ROMA CAR PARK
0
0.5 km
18
3
2
7
1
6 5
12
08
FRANCESCO
Francesco is 76 and retired; he’s lived in Venice his entire life. He spends most of his time on his boat, fishing by the Lido inlet of the lagoon. His wife takes care of the appartment and the shopping, which leaves him free to spend as much time as possible on the water. Venetian life for Francesco is all about the lagoon and life on the water; much less about walking.
DAY 1: SUMMER In the summer, Francesco will rise early (around 4/5am) and take his boat out until around 2pm for the day fishing. The boat is moored in the piccolo rio 50m from the appartment. When he returns, he will spend the rest of the day at home with his wife, eating dinner together before bed. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
0.1 km
DAY 1
DAY 2: WINTER In the winter, when the weather is too cold for fishing, Francesco will spend his mornings reading. In the afternoon, he travels to Marghera, via the bus from Piazzale Roma, to collect his nephew from school. He walks him home before returning to the centro storico the way he came. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
5.8 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 2.9 km FIGURE 1 0
WALKI NG W I TH FRANCES C O
1
50m
BOAT FROM FONDAMENTA DE LE GRUE
2
-
LIDO INLET
3
-
(1) FONDAMENTA DE LE GRUE
50m
HOME
DAY 2 5
1100m BUS STATION PIAZZALE ROMA
6
-
BUS STOP MARGHERA
7
260m
SCUOLA F GRIMANI
8
-
(6) BUS STOP MARGHERA
9
1500m NEPHEW’S HOUSE
10
1800m (8) BUS STOP MARGHERA
11
-
- - - (5) BUS STATION PIAZZALE ROMA
1100m HOME
0
0.5 km
5
1
09
D O N AT E L L A
Donatella is 80 years old and has lived in Venice her entire life. She’s lived in her current appartment for 30 years and previously lived half a kilometre away, in the Gesuiti area. Moving from one sestiere to another is a big deal for Venetians as the social fabric of the city is tight and strong bonds take time to develop. In the last few years, her mobility has decreased significantly due to muscular issues in one of her feet. Donatella now only does one activity a day and knows the best routes with the least number of bridges. Despite this, she will still travel to Mestre a few times a month for specific shopping trips and can still visit her friend in her fourth floor apartment - it just takes her a little longer than it used to. Donatella has volunteered at the San Lorenzo nursing home for 20 years, helping those who can’t feed themselves, and used to visit almost every other day. She now only visits twice a week as it’s a long walk. On other days she will visit friends and go on excursions around the city, visiting churches or the various exhibitions. She might stop for an apperitivo with a friend if the weather’s nice, but she wouldn’t stop for a coffee or eat out.
DAY 1: A DAY AT SAN LORENZO Donatella walks from home to San Lorenzo and back again, taking the same, most direct, route each time. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
2.8 km
DAY 2: VISITING FAMILY When visiting friends and family, Donatella uses the vaporetto as much as possible. To visit her sister-in-law, she takes the vaporetto from Ca’ D’Oro to Riva de Baisio and returns the same way.
DAY 1
TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
DAY 2
0.8 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 1.8 km FIGURE 11
WALKI NG W I TH DO NATEL L A
1
1400m SAN LORENZO NURSING HOME 1400m HOME
5
240m
VAPORETTO STOP CA’ D’ORO
6
-
VAPORETTO STOP RIVA DE BAISIO
7
160m
SISTER-IN-LAW’S HOUSE
8
160m
(6) VAPORETTO STOP RIVA DE BAISIO
9
-
(5) VAPORETTO STOP CA’ D’ORO
240m
HOME
0
0.5 km
4
5 3
1
10
INGE
Inge is 85 years old and has lived in Venice since 1958. She lives in Santa Croce and has lived in her current fourth floor apartment for 20 years. Her dog, Shalu, needs to be let out at least twice a day and is a good incentive to take a slightly longer route home. Last summer, Inge suffered a fall on the Callatrava bridge which knocked her confidence with walking significantly. For a few months, she wouldn’t use even Rialto bridge in case of a similar fall. She’s now back to her usual sprightly self and will regularly walk much further than the days illustrated if the weather is nice or she has guests to show around the city. The two days selected are in summer and winter, as the seasons have the greatest effect on Inge’s daily routines. While errands and trips vary, these two indicative days are far from extraordinary or particularly taxing.
DAY 1 1
280m
SHOP
1050m HOME
DAY 1: SUMMER The morning is spent running a few errands and walking Shalu. The afternoon is spent at the beach on the Lido. The vaporetto trip takes Inge off the map and the distances calculated only include walking from the San Nicolo vaporetto stop to the beach and back, not the distance travelled walking on the beach and into the sea. Most of the afternoon is spent on the beach, leaving enough time for an apperitivo and to stop at the pharmacy on the way home. After dinner, Inge takes Shalu out for a little roundtrip before bed, heading towards San Stae (11) and then home via Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
5.7 km
DAY 2: WINTER A morning trip to the shops in Canareggio is followed by a stop at Rialto fish market. After lunch, a trip to the bank in Campo San Luca is followed by a slightly longer walk home by taking Rialto bridge rather than the vaporetto. An evening dinner with her son and daughter-inlaw rounds off the day. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
5.4 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 5.6 km FIGURE 1 2
WALKI NG W I TH I NG E
3
650m
VAPORETTO STOP SAN TOMA
4
-
VAPORETTO STOP LIDO
5
1200m BEACH
6
1200m (4) VAPORETTO STOP LIDO
7
-
(3) VAPORETTO STOP SAN TOMA
8
130m
APPERITIVO
9
270m
PHARMACY
350m
HOME
11
300m
VAPORETTO STOP SAN STAE
12
-
VAPORETTO STOP SAN MARCUOLA
13
230m
SHOP
14
50m
SHOP
15
250m
(12) VAPORETTO STOP SAN MARCUOLA
16
-
(11) VAPORETTO STOP SAN STAE
17
600m
RIALTO FISH MARKET
DAY 2
850m
HOME
19
650m
VAPORETTO STOP SAN SILVESTRO
20
-
VAPORETTO STOP RIALTO
21
150m
BANK
23
550m
SON’S HOUSE
24
280m
RESTAURANT
350m
HOME
600m
HOME
1100m HOME
0
0.5 km
22
23
1
3
8
12
14
9
13
11
19
20
17
21
11
R I TA
Rita is 89 years old and has lived in Venice her entire life. She lives on the third floor of an apartment building without a lift and isn’t concerned. She has a very regular routine to complete her various errands and walks a long way, she just walks slower than she used to. She also has an excercise bike in her flat which she uses while she watches TV. She has witnessed the rapid changing in the city and is now serenaded by the sound of wheely suitcases throughout the day in her flat as it’s on one of the main routes to the station. Rita is always finding reasons to walk as it’s what keeps you alive. She is an extraordinary cook so she doesn’t eat out, but she will regularly bake treats at home which she will take with her when she visits her favourite vendors around the city. She still takes the same routes, but as local shops have closed the number of stops along the way have decreased. The two days selected are in spring and winter, on different days of the week, to give an impression of Rita’s varied routines. She will avoid walking too much in the summer, as it’s too hot, and even knows which Calle to take to avoid the sun. She spends August in the mountains to avoid the worst of the heat and humidity. DAY 1: SPRING The day begins with a few errands in the morning: buying a paper from the market and then stopping by the waste management depot to collect paper bags for the paper recycling. She picks up enough for the whole family and then returns home for lunch. In the afternoon she takes the badante who visits her out for a walk, as she is new to Venice and doesn’t know the city well. They walk to Zattere and then back home. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
5.8 km
DAY 2: WINTER The outing starts with a trip to buy washing detergent. Rita then takes a long route home, via Strada Nova and Rialto and stopping at the local shop in Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio. She used to stop more on this route, talking to Paolo the green grocer, buying produce from the market stalls and the newspaper stand, but these traders are no longer there. She continues to use the route for the exercise and to be outside. TOTAL WALKING DISTANCE:
3.3 km
AVERAGE WALKING DISTANCE:-- 4.6 km FIGURE 1 3
WALKI NG W I TH RI TA
DAY 1 1
800m
MARKET
2
550m
WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPOT
800m
HOME
3600m HOME DAY 2 5
500m
6
2300m SHOP 500m
SHOP
HOME
0
0.5 km
2
1
5
6
4 km
The averages presented in this
COSIMO, AGE 10
6.3 km 6 km
MARCO, AGE 27
6.9 km
ELIZABETTA, AGE 59
6.9 km
GIOVANNA, AGE 75
illustrated were exceptional, all fell within participants’ regular routines. In the UK, the NHS has calculated that the average person walks 4,000 steps a day: this converts to approximately
FRANCESCO, AGE 76
2km.
DONATELLA, AGE 80
5.6 km
INGE, AGE 85
4.6 km FIGURE 14
frequency. None of the days
CARLOTTA, AGE 25
7.4 km
1.8 km
as they are not calculated by
ELEONORA, AGE 25
6.1 km
2.9 km
study are not true averages
PIERANGELO, AGE 18
RITA, AGE 89
AVERAG E WALKI NG DI STA N C E S ( S T U D Y )
+65
+80
The adjacent diagram illustrates
S TA R T
the average walking distances
230m
(in a single journey) expected at varying ages in the UK. As the
500m
elderly participants illustrated during the study, these estimates
900m
would be extremely conservative in Venice. While Rita’s long walks may not be the default for all nearly-ninety-year-olds, she is far from exceptional in her mobility. The density of the centro storico, and its rich variety of public spaces, makes large parts of
FI G U R E 1 5
AV E R A G E WA L K I N G D I S TA N C E S ( U K )
the city accessible via even the shorter walking distances suggested by the UK study. However, walking distance alone is not an adequate measure of mobility. The frequency of the bridges makes the ability to confidently navigate (often quite steep) staircases necessary. The adacent map plots the minimum 230m walking distance onto the streets surrounding Campo San Polo. The maximum distance it is possible to travel any any direction without navigating stepped access is 200m.
FI G U R E X
M I N I M U M WA L K I N G D I S TA N C E
FI G URE 16
THE ACCESSI B I L I T Y O F T H E C E N T R O S TO R I C O
ACCESSIBLE VIA VAPORETTO ACCESSIBLE VIA MOTORBOAT, ACCESSIBLE BRIDGE OR STAIRLIFT NOT ACCESSIBLE VIA PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The study has seeminly confirmed the idea that the residents of Venice are far more mobile than the average UK citizen. However, for every highly mobile elderly resident, there will be other who, unable to navigate stairs unaided, are not visible and are relatively confined. The lack of wheelchair accessibility in the centre means that there are high proportions of wheelchair users on the Sant’ Elena and Sacca Fisola islands, which are better suited and permit a better quality of life for wheelchair users. Many, if not most, Venetian appartments are not equipped with lift access; stairs are very much part of their culture.