Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

1. What is World Design Capital?

Established in 2008 by the International Council for Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), this designation is given to cities that use design for social, economic and cultural development. The designation has been awarded to Torino, Italy (2008); Seoul, South Korea (2010) and Helsinki, Finland holds the title for 2012. The designated city has one year to use the title. During this year, the winning city will host a year long program of design-led events.

2. How does the competition work?

The WDC bidding process has four phases: Application, Selection, Planning and Implementation. The application phase requires the preparation of a bid book that lists Cape Town’s design assets. The selection phase involves a visit to Cape Town by a jury from Icsid. Two finalists are then announced at the end of this process. The finalist cities go into a planning phase during which they sharpen the events calendar of their year as World Design Capital. The implementation phase is the rollout of the planning process over the winning city’s year of designation.

3. How is it different from other bids like the Olympics and the Football World Cup

World Design Capital is a participative process. A successful bid will require the participation of academia, industry and government – what is referred to as the triple helix. It is not dependent on existing infrastructure only, but also on the design thinking behind the development of this infrastructure and how it will benefit the people of the city by furthering their economic, social and cultural needs.

4. Who else is bidding for World Design Capital 2014?

This information is not made public until the two finalist cities are selected.

5. What is design?

Icsid defines design as: a creative activity whose aim is to establish the multi-faceted qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole life cycles. Therefore, design is the central factor of innovative humanization of technologies and the crucial factor of cultural and economic exchange.

6. What are the criteria for becoming the World Design Capital?

It is the city that embodies these qualities and uses design thinking in its processes to improve and develop its environment for the benefit of its people.

7. When does the bid book need to be submitted?

The Cape Town bid book needs to be submitted in February 2011.

8. How does World Design Capital concern me?

As a practicing design professional, it is an opportunity to connect with other practitioners from different sectors of design. It is an opportunity to showcase your projects or events on a global platform, thereby attracting local and international investment. It is also an opportunity to put Cape Town on the map. By participating, you are contributing to shaping the development of the city’s knowledge economy.

9. Why is Cape Town bidding for this title?

There are four main reasons why Cape Town is bidding for this title.

The Bidding Process: We believe that the process of bidding is as important as winning the title. It provides an opportunity to audit the city’s design resources and set appropriate policies and an enabling environment for a culture of innovation to thrive.

Brand Cape Town: The City of Cape Town, Cape Town Partnership, Accelerate Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism are just some of the organizations that have put forward different visions for the city and how it could develop in the future. Preparing the bid document for World Design Capital, could streamline these processes and lead to the creation of a new identity that could change perceptions about Cape Town.

Events Calendar: By creating a year-long calendar of design-led events, Cape Town will be curating its current events calendar. This process could give an indication of where the gaps are and how they could possibly be filled.

Urban Development Projects: There are many urban development projects that are driven by innovative notions aimed at reconnecting Capetonians with their history and environment. See “Ten Projects”.

10. How can I get involved?

Register or follow us on facebook; and spread the word.