Who will be the next WDC in 2018?
March 18,2015 Daily Sabah
The World Design Capital (WDC), is a non-governmental organization initiative established and managed by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), which aims to protect and promote the profession of industrial design. It also designates cities for creating a world-wide design community and transforms cities and their inhabitants’ lives, promoting global understanding of design for enhancing economic growth, social, cultural, environmental and technological development, innovation and quality of life tools.
ICSID has designated a city as the World Design Capital every two years since 2008. Through the WDC program, ICSID intends to recognize and tout innovative cities, showcase a designated city and its achievements on the international arena. Its aim is to create an international network where cities and municipalities can learn from and share their innovative design programs and strategies, and provide a conducive environment to share municipal design-oriented projects between developed countries and emerging economies.
The WDC also provides a distinctive opportunity for cities to feature their accomplishments in attracting and promoting innovative design and their successes in urban revitalization strategies. Cities that have held the designation include: Torino, Italy in 2008; Seoul, South Korea in 2010; Helsinki, Finland in 2012; Cape Town, South Africa in 2014; and Taipei, Taiwan slated for 2016.Although the designation eluded the city in 2014, Istanbul remains committed to becoming the WDC in 2018,stanbul will this time, have the title it deserves.
Istanbul eyes to join this program for promoting and communicating its design-related assets to the world. Events as part of the WDC offer a very beneficial platform to identify global cooperation opportunities between the designated WDC and other cities, as well as among public and private sector actors and all kinds of stakeholders from around the world.