Thematic Clusters at Expo 2015 Milan. Studying Arid Zones as a Creative Lab

Arid Zones are typically defined in terms of lack of resources: water scarcity, a widespread risk of desertification and a fragile balance between water, food and energy. The paper proposes a different interpretation interpretation of the Arid Zones as a virtual creativity lab, which is stimulated by these primary issues. The research, implemented by the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano for the curation of the exhibition at the Cluster Arid Zones of EXPO Milan 2015, traced the following design approaches in these areas: building on existing customary practices and local empirical knowledge; reinterpreting people behaviors to empower the impact of innovative projects; adopting a multidisciplinary approach to link different fields of research. The results confirm the important role of the design discipline in such a fragile context, marked by difficult living conditions and fragile environment, as it allows envisaging the impact of the diffusion of certain innovations through various disciplinary fields of action. This systemic view helps us to broaden the thematic focus reminding that these emergencies are not just concerning the Arid Zones, often considered at the borders of our field of intervention, and it leads us to enhancing activities of forecasting, visualizing and communicating risks, moving from a local to a global level.