Milano, Forum Expo 2015

- The Forum for debate and observations on the forthcoming Expo in Milan proceeds apace with the publication of talks given at the international convention titled Grandi eventi: effetti territoriali a confronto per una riflessione su Expo Milano 2015 (Major Events: A comparative study of their effects on local areas and communities for a reflection on the Milan Expo 2015). The conference, which took place at the Milan Polytechnic on 24 October 2008 and was promoted by staff and students of the doctoral degree course in ‘Urban and Environmental Planning', sought to assess the possible after-effects of Expo 2015. Several local experts evaluated the results of four similar cases. The first of these were Valencia and Zaragoza in Spain, the former having been the location of three major events which leave speaker Fernando Gaja i Diaz somewhat dumbfounded, while the latter, which played host to Expo 2008, is judged positively by Javier Monclus. We can add to these Turin (Winter Olympics 2006) and Genoa (a number of important events between 1992 and 2004), both of which come in for praise from Chito Guala and Francesco Gastaldi, who underline the positive results of urban regeneration and local upgrading. These considerations provide the basis on which the debate on the opportunities and risks of the Milan Expo can be reopened.