WDO Launches Bid Process for World Design Capital 2022

Montreal (Canada) – The World Design Organization (WDO)™ today announced the launch of the World Design Capital® (WDC) bid process for the 2022 designation, inviting cities from around the globe to apply for its 8th WDC designation and to demonstrate the ways they are using design to create inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.
 
The WDC programme supports WDO’s vision to design a better world and its commitment to showcase design-led innovation that contributes to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 11, which focuses on sustainable cities.
 
“Cities everywhere are dealing with the challenges of rapid urbanization,” said WDO President Luisa Bocchietto. “Our WDC programme raises awareness of the power of design to make cities great places for people to work, live and play, addressing issues such as sustainable public transport and green spaces, affordable housing, water management, healthcare, education and transparent governance.”
 
Previous designated cities have leveraged the WDC platform to gain visibility as a leading centre of design and innovation; to attract investment, tourism and creative industries; to strengthen and diversify economic development; and to increase public awareness of the ways in which they have used design to improve residents’ lives.
 
The bid process in itself has also provided WDC cities with numerous benefits, such as increasing engagement with their design community, raising awareness of design in urban renewal, and taking stock of existing design assets.
 
For more information about the bidding process, as well as to apply for the WDC 2022 designation, download the Becoming a WDC Guide.
 
The deadline for applications is 31 March 2019. The designated city will be announced at WDO’s World Design Assembly™ in Hyderabad (India) in October 2019.
 
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Hanson, WDC Programme Manager, T: +1 514 448 4949 ext. 224, [email protected]
Khatidja Kassam, Communications Officer, T: +1 514 448 4949 ext. 223, [email protected]
 
About WDO
The World Design Organization (WDO)™, formerly the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1957 to promote the profession of industrial design. WDO advocates industrial design driven innovation that creates a better world, engaging more than 150 member organizations in collaborative efforts and carrying out international programming—World Design Capital®, World Design Talks™, World Design Impact Prize, World Industrial Design Day™, and Interdesign™. WDO has United Nations Special Consultative Status.
www.wdo.org
 
About World Design Capital®
World Design Capital® (WDC), designated every two years by the World Design Organization™ (WDO), recognizes WDO designates the World Design Capital (WDC) every two years to recognize cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. Through a year-long programme of events, the designated city showcases best practices in sustainable design-led urban policy and innovation that improve quality of life. Previous WDCs include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, Cape Town (South Africa) in 2014, and Taipei (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei) in 2016. Mexico City (Mexico) holds the title for 2018 and Lille Metropole (France) has been awarded the designation for 2020