World Design Capital

The World Design Capital (WDC) programme, designated every two years by the World Design Organization (WDO), recognizes 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. ^[1]

World Design Capitals by year

Year	Location	Source
2008	Torino, Italy	[2]
2010	Seoul, South Korea	[3]
2012	Helsinki, Finland	[4]
2014	Cape Town, South Africa	[5]
2016	Taipei, Taiwan	[6]
2018	Mexico City, Mexico
2020	Métropole européenne de Lille, France	[7]
2022	Valencia, Spain
2024	San Diego, United States* Tijuana, Mexico*	[8]
2026	Frankfurt Rhein/Main, Germany	[9]
*transborder collaboration