Lota is in the initial stages of refocusing their economy from an industrial economy, reliant on coal mining, to a service and tourism-based economy. This presents opportunity for industrial design to assist the town in this goal by giving the local stakeholders tools that will facilitate sustainable tourist development in the area. Additional opportunities can be found in developing products that will assist the community rebuild after a natural disaster has occurred, such as the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that happened in February 2010.
The group is keen to get to Chile and explore the town and get a clear sense of the culture and heritage. By acknowledging that the group will be outsiders during the trip, some members have chosen to focus on the public spaces that will be of interest to tourists. Other members are keeping with the theme of tourism, but interested in investigating the role art plays in the community. Another opportunity has been identified in response to the issue of natural disaster, and hopes to deal with the basic needs of the citizens.
The research done leading up to the trip will enable each member of the group to see and identify their own design opportunity, as well as collect any relevant data in the brief time available. However, since the time is so limited, as much preparation as possible will be done before arrival in Lota. This includes making any materials required for data collection and analysis, such as creating journals, collage materials, and getting materials translated to Spanish.
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