A Trip Through Tomorrowland: The World Expo as Futures Lab

Abstract

To shape just and equitable futures in which we all flourish, we need visions crafted by a broader range of voices that acknowledge everyone’s stake and account for the creativity, ingenuity, and place-based knowledge of everyday life around the planet. In addition, experiential and inclusive environments for imagining futures on a large scale are needed. We propose a concept of Futures Labs as plural, interactive, relational, cross-temporal, and immersive spaces for crafting, experiencing, and deliberating the futures we need. We analyze World Expos as one potential site in which to implement this concept based on our own experiences at the Expo2020 in Dubai. We discuss how aspects of Expos already meet the criteria of a Futures Lab and make proposals for ways to iterate this “lab” and enhance the role of World Expos in shaping global futures ahead of the upcoming 2025 Expo in Osaka, Japan.