Flooding is somewhat of an existential crisis for Venice. If they don't get it figured out the money will stop flowing and they'll be underwater economically as well as literally.
Contrast with NYC and SF where people just keep pouring in the dollars no matter how late the trains are or how rampant the petty crime is. Those cities won't pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and figure out solutions until the problem reaches existential proportions.
There seems to be only two ways big infrastructure projects get done in the western world these days. The first is a boondoggle graft laden handout to buy votes (e.g. the Big Dig) and the second is to ignore the problem until you can't anymore and then you finally get serious and implement some solution that has been on your radar since forever (e.g. MOSE).
Contrast with NYC and SF where people just keep pouring in the dollars no matter how late the trains are or how rampant the petty crime is. Those cities won't pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and figure out solutions until the problem reaches existential proportions.
There seems to be only two ways big infrastructure projects get done in the western world these days. The first is a boondoggle graft laden handout to buy votes (e.g. the Big Dig) and the second is to ignore the problem until you can't anymore and then you finally get serious and implement some solution that has been on your radar since forever (e.g. MOSE).