Saving Venice: Engineering and ecology in the Venice lagoon

This paper describes some of the challenges of sustainability, and shows how they are manifested in coastal environments. It reviews the problems facing Venice and its lagoon, as a particularly interesting and complex example, and describes the technological, environmental, and scientific actions taken to address the problems of sustainability. Specifically, the actions and interdisciplinary research supporting management of the Venice lagoon environment are discussed, with a particular focus on the sediment. Conclusions are drawn regarding the integration of science, technology, and the environment, including the interactions of industry, the international scientific community, and governments.