Icsid launches a call for applications for the World Design Capital 2014 designation

The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) is currently inviting cities to submit applications for the World Design Capital 2014 designation.

World Design Capital is a biennial international appointment that is conferred to a city for the period of one year, in recognition of its achievements and focus on design as a driving force for economic, social and cultural development.

The vision of the World Design Capital initiative is to promote and encourage the use of design to further the social, economic and cultural development of the world's cities. In this spirit, the WDC designation honours the city that has best used design to revitalise and reinvent its urban environment.

“At a time in history when over half the world’s population lives in cites, the World Design Capital designation calls attention to the power of design to improve our quality of life,” stated Icsid President Dr. Mark Breitenberg. “Our ambition is to educate governments around the world about the ways in which design-driven approaches can address our most urgent and challenging problems, including planning and urban regeneration, technology and the development of new products and services that improve daily life, transportation, and the urban environment.”

For the appointed city, the WDC designation is a year-long opportunity to strengthen economic development, stimulate new partnerships and build upon its global image as a centre of creativity and innovation.

Interested cities are encouraged to download the application form from the official World Design Capital website at www.worlddesigncapital.com. The deadline for submission is 31 March 2011.

Since the inaugural designation in 2008, the WDC title has been bestowed upon the cities of Torino, Italy (WDC 2008); Seoul, South Korea (WDC 2010); and most recently, to Helsinki, Finland (WDC 2012).