In early September, the World Design Organization (WDO) chose Valencia to be the World Design Capital 2022. It is the first time that a Spanish city has been chosen to be a year-long showcase of world design.
The Spanish city beat the Indian metropolis of Bengaluru in the final. The non-governmental organisation’s panel of judges, comprised of designers, architects, interior designers and entrepreneurs from many countries made the announcement on Monday 9th September at their headquarters in Montreal (Canada).
The multi-disciplinary programme of activities presented by Valencia's candidacy focused on using design as a key tool in improving communication, business products and life in general, and proved to be a decisive element in choosing this Mediterranean city. Moreover, during a video conference with the Associació València Capital del Disseny, the Secretary-General of the WDO, Bertrand Derome, pointed out that he also valued the ‘precision, rigour and professionalism’ that Valencia’s candidacy showed throughout the process, as well as the ‘cohesion and strength’ of the sector.
The World Design Organization (WDO) created the World Design Capital® (WDC) programme to promote and encourage the use of design, with the goal of enhancing economic, social, cultural and environmental development in cities around the world. Designated every two years, this year-long promotional project for cities recognises the achievements of cities which are effectively taking advantage of design to improve the livelihoods of their citizens. Over the programme’s 10 years, previous World Design Capitals include Turin (2008), Seoul (2010), Helsinki (2012), Cape Town (2014), Taipei (2016) and Mexico City (2018).
In 2022, Valencia will take over from Lille (2020) with an ambitious project based on the slogan The Mediterranean Design of Valencia. Design for Change, Design for the Senses. The multi-disciplinary programme will include a full schedule of events covering all design disciplines and will tackle topics such as design in the face of climate change, Mediterranean design, design’s commitment to gender equality, industrial development, and design and nature, among others.