The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether nudge theory can serve as an effective tool to encourage cultural participation among the citizens of Venice, in light of the island’s social and income-related conditions.
The project is situated within the broader theme of cultural regeneration, which is examined from a legal, theoretical, and historical perspective.
The thesis then focuses on the reality of Venice through an analysis of its social issues, including depopulation, the lack of affordable housing, and the decline in middle- and lower-income taxpayers in the peripheral sestieri of the island. At the same time, a high concentration of cultural events can be observed in certain sestieri characterized by higher average incomes and greater tourist flows.
Culture-based urban regeneration projects should be distributed more evenly across the territory, an aspect that has also been emphasized by legislators.
Some initiatives have pursued this objective through the decentralization of museum activities into peripheral neighborhoods, as in the project of the Rete delle Case del Quartiere in Turin, which successfully encouraged cultural participation.
Although a similar process has not taken place in Venice, this thesis examines the possibility that the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, through the installation of artworks in Campo Santa Maria Formosa, may have created nudges that fostered museum engagement and cultural dialogue.
Through the analysis of nudge theory and the case studies presented, the thesis will demonstrate how the distribution of cultural events throughout the peripheral sestieri is essential for the cultural and social regeneration of Venice, and it will explore whether and how these gentle pushes may effectively contribute to this objective.