Naval heritage and the revitalisation challenge: lessons from the Venetian Arsenale

In the context of the Venetian Arsenale, the paper explores the difficulties which naval heritage may impose on waterfront revitalisation processes and planning. The rise and decline of this outstanding naval waterfront are outlined and the nature of the heritage legacy is reviewed. State-locality relations are shown to be central to slow regeneration progress to date, but it is demonstrated that revitalisation must overcome additional impediments: neglect and dereliction of the built environment, restoration resource constraints and the severity of the regulatory regime for conservation. Isolation from the city, the adoption of a flexible approach to heritage definition, and the need to assess competing futures are also shown to be relevant challenges. While the Arsenale is considered unique, the conclusion employs the implications of the analysis to propose a research agenda for historic naval waterfronts in general.