Arexpo is the publicly owned company that led the regeneration of the Expo 2015 site to the creation of MIND Milano Innovation District in collaboration with Lendlease.
Unique in its model and nature, the company has a strategic function in the Italian scenario: to focus on large areas to regenerate, transforming them into lively and attractive places through long-term partnerships with the private sector.
Arexpo’s role is to make collaboration between institutions, investors and real estate developers smoother – and therefore quicker, more effective and time-certain. An innovative activity of mediation and guarantee, as well as territorial promotion and involvement with a vision of growth that focuses on the advancement of the entire community.
As the original promoter and public point of contact for the project, Arexpo remains responsible for the institutional initiatives promoted by MIND. The company is made up of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Lombardy Region, the Municipality of Milan, the Fiera Milano Foundation, the Metropolitan City of Milan and the Municipality of Rho.
Arexpo proposes a unique model of public policy: give places a future of shared growth, thanks to a tight alliance between the public and private sectors. MIND is the first project
Why MIND
MIND is the result of a process that began before the Universal Exhibition in Milan, with the creation of Arexpo in 2011 as the company in charge of acquiring the areas designated for Expo. At the end of the event, the company owns the entire site and is working to define a new development: its commitment as a promoter and catalyst of the area’s resources gives substance to the idea of a scientific centre of global excellence, capable of embracing the values of the great international event. MIND Milano Innovation District has become reality thanks to the relationship with Lendlease, a private partner identified through an innovative tender: a 99-year concession designed to promote the sustainability of the project and the future care of the site.
Arexpo is the protagonist and constant reference point of this entire evolution: a courageous project benefiting the entire country in economic, social and cultural terms – a vision founded on the values of knowledge and experimentation, encounter and openness, sustainability and quality of life – which now proudly opens up to all people.
The activities in the district
Arexpo’s commitment within the district continues the extensive activity carried out since 2015, with the many events open to the public organised in the area since the end of Expo – so many opportunities to keep the place and its relationship with Milan alive.
Arexpo focuses on the special projects promoted by MIND with an overall coordinating role. Programmes and initiatives aim to publicise the district and its themes and to involve different audiences, starting with the youngest.
The programme that best represents the values of exchange and common growth, promoted by Arexpo together with the district’s main partners, is MIND Education. Launched in 2017, MIND Education is a series of meetings, workshops and competitions aimed at students from primary school to university, through which the citizens of tomorrow can be involved in imagining the future of the place.
