Book review of Roger Scruton’s ‘Green Philosophy’: weaknesses in thinking seriously about the planet
This is my review of Roger Scruton’s book ‘Green Philosophy. How to Think Seriously About the Planet’. The review was published by the Manchester Salon website on 22 April 2013 and I will be one of the speakers at a debate at the Salon on 24 April 2013. See this link to the debate: Modernisation, … Continue reading
Venice’s first two mobile dams arrive in lagoon for installation
After a couple of months during which there appeared to be little progress in modernising the city, there was an important development with the ‘MoSE’ mobile dam project. The first two barriers for the dam project were transported to the lagoon, entering it at 15.45 on 28 February 2013. They were shipped from their place … Continue reading
Paper published about Venice and Italy: Renewables Policy as a Barrier to Energy Innovation
This academic paper by Dominic Standish has been published in the journal Energy and Environment, Vol. 23, No. 6 & 7, 2012. The full text of the paper is available using the publisher’s website here: Italy: Renewables Policy as a Barrier to Energy Innovation This is the abstract of the paper: Italy’s limited natural energy … Continue reading
Disagreements over whether sea level rises would make Venice’s mobile dams unworkable
On 10 December 2012, the Venice branch of conservationist organization Italia Nostra issued a press release arguing that rising sea levels will make Venice’s mobile dams unworkable: Mose_Pirazzoli_comunicato1 This claim was based on statements made by Paolo Antonio Pirazzoli during a conference presentation on 28 September 2012. Pirazzoli suggested that the design of the dams … Continue reading
Futuristic Vision for a City Rooted in the Past: my comments in NYT/IHT article on Venice & Cardin’s Palace
The article below was written by Elisabetta Povoledo and published in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune on 6/7 December 2012: The original can be accessed from this link: VENICE JOURNAL: Futuristic Vision for a City Rooted in the Past Futuristic Vision for a City Rooted in the Past By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO VENICE … Continue reading
Book review of ‘Venice in Environmental Peril? Myth and Reality’
Elisabetta Gasparoni has written a very perceptive and thorough review of my book Venice in Environmental Peril? Myth and Reality (UPA, 2012). This is a link to the review on The Future Cities project website: Venice: Myth and Reality. The review was also re-published by Spiked-online on 30 November 2012 here: Is Venice really sinking? … Continue reading
Funds assigned to complete Venice’s mobile dams in 2016
This week Venice has witnessed very high flooding again. On Monday 15 October, high tides reached 110 cm above zero on Venice’s tide meter, which is the level designated as a high flood alert. Approximately 12 percent of the historical city was under water, as reported in the Venetian newspaper Il Gazzettino di Venezia on … Continue reading
Mayor of Venice reveals possible new solution to cruise ship ‘problem’
Giorgio Orsoni, Venice’s Mayor, has revealed that he has commissioned a study to investigate establishing a new maritime port for cruise ships at Marghera, which is on the mainland side of the Venetian lagoon. This proposal was outlined during a meeting on 2 October 2012 between the Mayor and representatives of the “No Big Ships” … Continue reading
New investment for innovative offshore platform to develop Venice’s port
Plans to develop Venice’s port with an offshore platform and changes to onshore facilities are progressing. In January 2013, €2.45BN was committed to this project. This was announced in an article in the Venetian newspaper La Nuova Venezia, which can be read using this link: Tre_miliardi The plan is to construct a four kilometre-shipping terminal … Continue reading
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