IACP's Role in Venice's Early 20th Century Housing Development

A doctoral thesis by Vittorio De Battisti Besi at Università Iuav di Venezia examines the housing interventions by IACP (now ATER) in Venice between 1914 and 1936, within the broader strategy of the 'Grande Venezia' project theorized by Piero Foscari and Giuseppe Volpi. The research draws on largely unpublished archival documents from IACP's recently accessible historical archive, alongside contemporary articles from journals like Ateneo Veneto and Rivista della Città di Venezia. The study reveals a political clash between factions favoring expansion in the historic center versus those pushing for development on the mainland, with the latter prevailing under Count Volpi's influence. Four case studies are highlighted: Sant'Elena, Marghera, Quattro Fontane al Lido, and Santa Marta. The Sant'Elena district, the largest urban intervention in insular Venice planned and directed solely by IACP in the early 1920s, exemplifies the search for a 'Venetian character' and led to the establishment of a Commission for Ornament. The thesis was supervised by Maria Bonaiti, promoted by ATER Venezia, funded by Federcasa and a three-year scholarship from the Centro Universitario Cattolico of the Italian Episcopal Conference.