Designing for territorial revitalization. A diffused art exhibition to foster northwest Italian inner areas

Design for territories considers lands not only as a spatial context but also as a design object that has to be approached with definite strategies. The use of design methodologies for territorial purposes could lead to innovative products, services, policies, and structures, with the aim to stimulate new activities and local relations. This contribution sheds light on the role of design discipline in building and implementing methods to support the development of a territory. The paper presents an actual case study carried out by a group of systemic design researchers from Politecnico di Torino, who worked on a multi-layered action plan for the Piedmont Region, in the north of Italy. For this plan, the designers were required to set up a series of guidelines to improve or activate well founded territorial policies. The research was carried out in the areas of culture, local economy, and tourism promotion through the project of a diffused art exhibition entitled Il Rinascimento di Gaudenzio Ferrari. The exhibition also resulted in the development of participatory services, the enhancement of local economies, and the strengthening of the relations between districts. The paper analyses the supportive role of design, with investigations on emerging design, design for territories, and systemic design. It describes the main phases of the project, underlining its outcomes, the positive impacts on local communities, its limits, and possible future developments. It further suggests possible perspectives for an evolutionary process in the design sphere, with distinct guidelines for creating new diffused events.