'Collective place consciousness', coastal grabbing, and the 'toxic heritage' in the Venetian lagoon

This chapter examines the relationships between coastal communities and legal-spatial production, whose complex intertwining lies at the heart of the ‘collective place-consciousness’ linked to these areas. It assesses how these communities have co-produced their own place-specific ecology of the place, i.e. a set of situated (environmental, legal, and cultural) practices that make coastal places profound centres of human experience. The essay then turns to the actors of our globalised economy, who exploit coastal areas, their ports, and environmental-cultural heritage to maximise their profits, particularly in cruise-related activities. It will examine ‘coastal grabbing’, i.e. the appropriation of large parts of these coastal territories by supra-local economic actors to meet their financial interests. We are usually told that these activities also benefit local communities. Yet, costal grabbing often obliterates the traditional socio-cultural ties between communities and their coastal territories. As a case study, the chapter will focus on the industrial pole, of Porto Marghera in Venice, Italy. At the same time, coastal grabbing also has some the health-related consequences; as in the case of Porto Marghera, it has altered the environmental equilibrium, leading to what has been termed the ‘toxic heritage’. The degradation of the environment impacts on the health of the local population and, at same time, goes hand in hand with the exploitation of the touristic attractiveness of Venice.