Next week will see Milan design week return with full force. We've gathered 12 unmissable exhibitions taking place during the week, including installations by Paola Navone, Shigeru Ban and OMA.

Dezeen Events Guide has published two digital guides for the week – a fair guide to Salone del Mobile and a festival guide to the wider Milan design week – which include details of all the key events and the best brands exhibiting across the city.

Thousands of people will travel to Milan next week, but should we? Milan design week is an opportunity to showcase ingenious responses to climate change but the Salone del Mobile fair it relies on is still inherently unsustainable, writes Katie Treggiden.

Dezeen has teamed up with design software brand SketchUp on a new podcast series exploring the role that architects and designers can play in tackling climate change. The first episode of Climate Salon is out now and makes for perfect listening on your journey to Milan.

Milan design week exhibition Alcova takes place in a new location every year. In an exclusive interview, founders Joseph Grima and Valentina Ciuffi say this nomadic approach is key to supporting radical young design talent.

Dezeen is partnering with over 10 international brands during Milan design week this year, with projects including the first of a new series of talks with Bentley and videos for brands including Grohe, Moooi and Preciosa.

With Salone del Mobile returning to its April slot for the first time in four years next week, president Maria Porro tells Dezeen what to expect from the design mega-fair in this interview.