“Short networks” was the title of the second meeting of the series organized by Fondazione Venezia 2000, Encounter for Venice. During the first meeting, devoted to the discussion of long networks, the role of the city in relationship to its geographical position and its economical and cultural relationships with the rest of Italy and Europe were analyzed. Speaking of short networks instead, involved the consideration of the city and its representatives in order to understand cooperation and dialogue strategies established with other partners to build an extended governance system in the metropolitan area. Before the meeting, the “legislative model” of the metropolitan city was presented through a brief debate. Still today, such model has found little application in our country, and the few viable example of its enforcement come from “spontaneous” initiative of Municipalities and Provinces. By means of various agreements, these institutions are supporting the creation of expert task-forces. Even if today a metropolitan city in Venice doesn’t exist, a series of spontaneous agreements initiated on the area already suggests a rough outline of what this metropolitan city will be. The very “spontaneous” nature of such agreements proves the existence of a complex network of socio-economic interactions already connecting the provinces of Venezia, Padua and Treviso. Therefore the Venice-Padua-Treviso metropolitan area already exists as it is even more clearly proven by the subsistence of institutions in charge of the area as a whole or by the activity of service companies functioning in the same territory.

Spontaneous agreements

Between such agreements, one is especially meaningful for the creation of a metropolitan city in the area of Venice: signed by the majors of Padua and Venice on may 2nd 2007, such memorandum of understanding sanctions the reinforcement of the cities’ competitiveness for the development of the whole north-eastern area of Italy. Moreover, the future metropolitan area of Venice is forming also thanks to a series of agreements and spontaneous forms of collaboration established between several municipalities. One of the most important between such initiatives is the memorandum of understanding signed by the province of Venice and the Province of Treviso on January 2009. The protocol is aimed at the enforcement of common managing practices concerning urban policies, transportation and garbage disposal.

Shareholdings

Another key to understand the structure of the metropolitan area model is offered by the intertwining of shareholdings in especially “sensitive” sectors. To this regard, in Venice metropolitan area, Marghera constitutes a characteristic example; in fact here the initiatives aimed at the industrial development of the area are often associated with the creation of centres and activity for technological, management and organizational development of industry and service. Companies like Vega – Scientific and Technological park or Veneto Nanotech are worth attention. Both joint ventures were created as a result of the commitment of the major entities active for technological innovation on the territory. Therefore they represent the common effort of public and private institutions to create centres of excellence able to compete on the national and international scenes.

Legal entities

In addition to spontaneous agreements and shareholdings other important legal entities are already active in the Venezia-Mestre-Padua-Treviso metropolitan area, giving further credibility to the model outlined. Two are these entities:
 The special administrator for Mestre’s Beltway: this legal entity is largely involved in the confirmation of Venice metropolitan area’s existence. The administrator is a very important actor in the metropolitan area since he is acting as sole and special representative (temporarily) of all the competent institutions from each area involved in the realization of the beltway, an extraordinarily important public work for the Venice-Padua-Treviso metropolitan area. The administrator role can be seen as a test-bed confirming the necessity of the creation of an entity managing the metropolitan area as a whole. The activity of the special administrator was also the occasion for the “collective realization” of the existence of such thing as the metropolitan area and the subsequent need to appropriately manage its processes.
 Company for integrated transportation in Veneto (STIV): this company is another independent legal entity aiming at the creation of a public transportation system in the Venice-Padua-Treviso metropolitan area, allowing for better and easier mobility inside each province and in between them. Metropolitan area governance Other institutions and relations inherently endorse the metropolitan area of Venice, that is to say that the city and its institutions connect into a network with other entities in the metropolitan sphere in order to create an extended governance system. Some spheres were analyzed more in detail. Environment, services and mobility. As far as the environment is concerned: more than 100 municipalities in Venice, Padua and Treviso province belong to the “Bacino Scolante”, twenty-five municipalities are served by the integrated water system Veritas, and the municipalities belonging to three development consortiums. Services: agreements between three Universities (Ca’ Foscari, IUAV and Padua), theatres involved in the “Youth to the Theatre” project, distribution and composition of productive districts. As far as mobility is concerned: regional metropolitan railway system, companies grouped into the Veneto Integrated Transportation, motorways organization and management.