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. 

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“In today’s socio-economic climate, the WDC designation represents a significant opportunity for us to highlight how cities around the world are leveraging design to reimagine and revitalize their urban spaces post-pandemic,” WDO President Srini Srinivasan said of their selection. “Through their bid, San Diego-Tijuana presented a culture of cross-border collaboration and the role of both technology and innovation toward building more interconnected communities. These sister cities will provide a unique success story from which city administrations across the world can draw.”

Their joint submission, which was spearheaded in part by UC San Diego’s Design Lab, beat out Moscow for the title. 

In a statement, Tijuana’s Mayor Montserrat Caballero added finally: “Our designation as a World Design Capital is an opportunity for us to highlight to the world the unique interconnectedness of our region and tell the story of seven million people who live, work, and partner together in exceptional ways.”