ABSTRACT
The vision held of Expositions as a type of ephemeral event – a reflection of the development of capitalism, nationalism and imperialism – has been widely expressed in studies of the historical Expositions, that is, those taking place from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1930s.1 Additionally, the relevance of these exhibitions (Expositions or World’s Fairs) in the architectural and town planning historiography of this fundamental period in the transformation of western cities has led to excessive generalisations. While some authors are interested in the cultural dimension associated with events viewed as ‘exceptional’ and ephemeral, others consider them to be true ‘urban development projects’.2 However, comparative analysis, as is the aim of this work, shows that not all were so ephemeral, but also that not all of them were conceived as ‘urban development projects’ focused on transforming the cities that held them.
