I mean a city that has no thriving businesses, companies and industry that attract people to go to live there. The only thriving industry of Venice (apart, of course, from tourism) is the cultural industry (museums, foundations) and the university- which I suspect is the second major source of demand for housing. You mention the public sector but that's entirely artificial, partly also driven by tourism, and sluggish.
In most medium Italian cities (though with its actual population Venice doesn't even qualify as medium anymore) people park their cars right on their doorstep or two minutes away. Workers can jump in their car in the morning and commute to the office, elderly people can drive anywhere. Big cities have multiple efficient and interconnected public transport systems for those who work in the neighborhood and don't want to use their cars. In Venice, even cycling is impossible. I do understand the charm and the privilege of living there, but it's undeniably a choice with many trade-offs. I wish there was a way to make the city attractive again not for the canals and the alleys but for the actual job opportunities you get there, but I have to admit that given the general state of the country and the addiction to tourism the outlook isn't good. In the meanwhile the city turns more and more into an amusement park and a museum.
In most medium Italian cities (though with its actual population Venice doesn't even qualify as medium anymore) people park their cars right on their doorstep or two minutes away. Workers can jump in their car in the morning and commute to the office, elderly people can drive anywhere. Big cities have multiple efficient and interconnected public transport systems for those who work in the neighborhood and don't want to use their cars. In Venice, even cycling is impossible. I do understand the charm and the privilege of living there, but it's undeniably a choice with many trade-offs. I wish there was a way to make the city attractive again not for the canals and the alleys but for the actual job opportunities you get there, but I have to admit that given the general state of the country and the addiction to tourism the outlook isn't good. In the meanwhile the city turns more and more into an amusement park and a museum.