Il Centro Internazionale "Città d'Acqua" (Cities on Water)

Director: Rinio Bruttomesso

The international 'Città d'Acqua' centre is a non-profit-making organisation established in Venice in 1989 to collect and collate information on the experience and problems of urban areas strongly influenced by their relationship with water. The association's main objective is to encourage scientific and cultural exchanges between the various cities on water, worldwide, and to create in Venice (a universal symbol of such a city) a reference point for those who, for whatever reason, are working to improve the relationship between water and city, and the urban environment in general.

The Centre's activities usually concern the problems faced by cities on water, whether these be on the coast, or in a gulf, bay or lagoon, or situated on the banks of lakes or estuaries or on the banks of large waterways.

FIELDS OF INQUIRY

Since it was founded, the Cities on Water Centre has identified the four principal concerns shared by urban areas which are working on the improvement of their relationship with the water.

	Restoration of the waterfront.
	Relationship between the city and the harbour.
	Water transport.
	Urban maintenance.

Reports

The Centre has produced the following reports:

	"Impact of sea level rise on Cities and Regions". Summaries of presentations, First International Meeting, Venice, 11-13 December 1989 (pp.54). R. FRASSETTO (ed.), Impact of sea level rise on Cities and Regions.
	"Proceedings of the First International Meeting" 'Cities on Water', Marsilio Editori, Venice, 1991 (pp.238).
	"Waterfront: a new urban frontier" Papers and abstracts. Second International Meeting, Venice, 23-25 January, 1991 (pp.158).
	R. BRUTTOMESSO (ed.), Cities on Water and Transport, Edizioni Città d'Acqua, Venice.
	R. BRUTTOMESSO (ed.), Manutenzione, Sicurezza e Qualità Urbana, Marsilio Editori, Venice, 1997.
	R. BRUTTOMESSO (ed.), Land-Water Intermodal Terminals, Marsilio Editori, Venice, 1998.

International conferences in Venice

The Centre organises international conferences on a regional basis. At these conferences the problems facing cities on water are discussed and concrete proposals for tackling them are sought. Different disciplinary approaches are compared, work already undertaken is discussed with the collaboration of planners and academics, administrators, technical staff, entrepreneurs and representatives of international organisations.

Conferences already held

	First International Conference, 'Impact of sea level rise on Cities and Regions', Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 11-13 December 1989.
	Second International Conference, 'Waterfront: a new urban frontier', Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Venice, 23-25 January 1991.
	Third International Conference, 'Cities on water and transport', Fondazione G. Cini, Isola di S. Giorgio, Venice, 17-19 March 1993.
	Fourth International Conference, 'Urban mobility and intermodalities in cities on water. Land sea interchange terminals', Venice International University, Isola di S. Servolo, Venice, 9-11 October 1997.
	Fifth International Conference, 'Water and industrial archaeology. The re-use of industrial archaeological structures in cities on water', Auditorium S. Margherita, 27-29 March 1998.

The Centre publishes a bi-monthly information and study leaflet on cities on water, in English and Italian.