Expos as Great Urban Projects, Present and Future is the outcome of a multiyear research initiative conducted at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in collaboration with the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organization that oversees and regulates international expos. The research was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by Joan Busquets, Martin Bucksbaum Professor, Dingliang Yang and Michael Keller, with the assistance of thirty GSD students between 2018 and 2023.
This two-volume, 1,300-page publication offers a comprehensive study of the world expo as a transformative urban phenomenon. Surveying more than a century and a half of expositions, it positions the expo as a distinct urban genre--one that has consistently reshaped cities, catalyzed development in new areas, and enabled projects that conventional planning processes alone often fail to advance. The resulting cultural, spatial, and infrastructural legacies demonstrate that expos have long operated as significant agents of urban change across continents.
The research identifies the design principles that underpin the expo's distinctive capacity as an urban project. It advances the concept of a dual-cycle design approach, in which the temporary event and its post-expo transformation and reuse are conceived as interrelated and mutually reinforcing phases. Within this framework, the expo is understood not only as an ephemeral intervention but as a catalyst for long-term urban and territorial transformation. Additionally, its design capacity enables the realization of more direct and innovative urban and architectural forms.
Drawing on comparative mapping, historical inquiry, and analytical case studies, the volumes examine how expos generate new centralities, pioneer novel typologies, and serve as testing grounds for emerging ecological, technological, and cultural priorities. Looking ahead, the study positions expos as strategic instruments capable of addressing contemporary urban challenges and supporting more sustainable and inclusive forms of development.
Busquets, Joan: - Joan Busquets is a world-renowned architect, urban designer, and educator. He is the Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and the founder of the design firm, BAU Barcelona.
Keller, Michael: -
Michael Keller is an architect based in Seattle and a former research associate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Yang, Dingliang: - Dingliang Yang is an architect, urban designer, and McKnight Land-Grant Professor at the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, he taught at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design from 2018 to 2022. His current research focuses on urban form and the integration of AI, geospatial technologies, and design in shaping future cities. He is the author of multiple books on architecture and urbanism. Yang's practice, vari architects, has received international recognitions for innovative and sustainable work in architecture and urban design.
