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San Diego-Tijuana selected as the World Design Capital for 2024

2023-02-21T17:41:00-05:00

The World Design Organization (WDO) has announced a cross-border combination of San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico as the official World Design Capital for 2024.

The designation was bestowed “as a result of their commitment to human-centered design and legacy of cross-border collaboration to transform the region’s natural and built environments,” according to the WDO. Their selection marks the first time in history that a binational urban region will share the honor that was first established in 2008.

Both cities boast their own stock of significant architecture (The Salk Institute and Geisel Library in San Diego; various monuments and the CECUT Cultural Center in Tijuana) and will leverage the title in order to pursue a slate of dispositive investigations into issues impacting the built environment in both communities under the banner HOME2024.

“In today’s socio-e...

Lille, France and Sydney, Australia named as World Design Capital 2020 finalists

2017-07-12T14:59:00-04:00

The World Design Organization today announced that Lille, France and Sydney, Australia have made the shortlist to become World Design Capital 2020, for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development in their cities. City visits will be conducted prior to final WDC 2020 selection, to better assess the scope and capacity of each of the cities’ proposed programs. The winner will be announced on 14 October 2017 in Torino, Italy during WDO’s 30th General Assembly.

"Once an industrial center facing economic upheaval, Lille aims to engage its 2.1 million inhabitants (including companies, local authorities, research and training centers, cultural destinations and civic spaces) in collaborative design-driven projects. Under the theme, Eldorado: the greatest design experiment, it places design at the heart of its economic, societal and environmental transformation.

Sydney, in collaboration with Parramatta and other surrounding suburbs, wil...

Townships in South Africa: can design help solve the housing crisis?

2014-05-14T13:45:00-04:00

On the World Design Capital (WDC) website, Cape Town presents some remarkable shack design projects aimed to solve a nationwide slum problem. Yet even with more than 200 informal settlements and 600,000 residents waiting for formal housing, the Western Cape has been slow to implement the 'transformative design' it celebrates. [...] The backlog hit 2.1m units in 2013 and at least 1.9 million people (more than 10% of all households) live in shacks or other makeshift dwellings.

Apartheid ended 20 years ago, so why is Cape Town still 'a paradise for the few'?

2014-04-30T14:16:00-04:00

The South African city is World Design Capital 2014, yet residents of Khayelitsha township live in cramped, unhygienic conditions. The need for long-promised urban reform is urgent. [...] “Cape Town is a paradise for the minority, but I could hope for a city where everyone has access to the same opportunities that I have,” says Wolff. “Mandela may have postponed revolution – but for how much longer is the question.”

City of Taipei announced as World Design Capital 2016

2013-11-19T20:32:00-05:00

The City of Taipei successfully landed the bid — after being the only city to do so — in becoming the next designated city for World Design Capital 2016. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) made the official announcement during its 28th General Assembly on Monday, Nov. 18. Previous cities who received the appointment include Torino (2008), Seoul (2010), Helsinki (2012) and the upcoming WDC in Cape Town (2014).

Previously: City of Taipei takes the first hurdle towards becoming the next World Design Capital in 2016

City of Taipei takes the first hurdle towards becoming the next World Design Capital in 2016

2013-08-06T18:40:00-04:00

Taipei has high hopes of becoming the next World Design Capital (WDC) designated city in 2016, and so far, it's looking pretty good: The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) announced from its Montreal headquarters today that "members of the selection committee identified the City of Taipei as the only municipality to move on to the next phase in the process towards becoming the WDC 2016."

Past cities to hold the designation include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010 and Helsinki (Finland) in 2102 whilst preparations for Cape Town (South Africa) are underway for 2014.

UPDATE: City of Taipei announced as World Design Capital 2016