Venice Sustainability Foundation (VSF) once again participated as an institutional partner in the 34th Economic Forum in Karpacz, Poland (September 2–4), one of Central Europe's main platforms for discussing economic policy, innovation, and sustainable development. Organised by the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies, the event is widely known as the "Davos of Eastern Europe."
VSF Director General Alessandro Costa spoke on the panel “Modern, Green, Livable – A Recipe for a Future Proof City,” sharing Venice's experience as a global laboratory for urban resilience. Moderated by Anna Visvizi (SGH Warsaw School of Economics), the panel also featured Saša Drezgić (University of Rijeka), Michal Mlynczak (Deputy Mayor of Wrocław), Boguslaw Kosmider (KHK S.A., Poland), and Arkadiusz Urban (Housing Development Institute, Poland).
Thanks to initiatives like the MOSE system, Venice has transformed from one of the cities most vulnerable to climate change into an advanced model of coastal protection that can be replicated in other contexts. Costa presented VSF as a sustainability hub dedicated to advancing sustainable development across Venice and the broader Veneto region, leveraging public-private partnerships (PPP) for urban regeneration and the retrofitting of public housing.
The debate also focused on the core challenges facing future cities: innovative technologies, eco-friendly solutions, citizen well-being, and tourism management calculated through urban carrying capacity models. Costa emphasized that while there is no single "ideal city", common solutions exist – such as the ecological transition, which offers opportunities for all urban centers, noting that green investments consistently translate into a higher quality of life.
The Foundation's participation in the Forum underscores VSF's active role in international dialogue and reinforces the message that Venice, through its distinct challenges and best practices, serves as a valuable model for designing more modern, green, and human-scale cities.
