The communities of San Diego and Tijuana came together to celebrate and learn more about what is planned for the year including signature events, a cross-border temporary art installation, and more
Tijuana. BC, February 28, 2024. – Today, World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 (WDC 2024) hosted a Community Celebration at the Tijuana Cultural Center to officially kick off its year-long programming of design-related events. The first cross-border designation in World Design Capital history, San Diego is the first U.S. city ever to receive the designation and Tijuana is the second city in Mexico to hold the title.
“Design is a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation, generates business success and leads to a better quality of life through innovative products, systems, services and experiences,” said Thomas Garvey, President of World Design Organization. “There is a sense of unity, of resilience and cooperation that is unique to the Tijuana-San Diego region and it’s a privilege for us at WDO to experience it and to be able to showcase it to the world as part of World Design Capital.”
This morning, journalists had the opportunity to hear from individuals including Vianka Santana, Director of CECUT; Mai Thi Nguyen Board Chair of WDC 2024; Thomas Garvey, President of World Design Organization; Chairwoman Nora Vargas, County of San Diego; and Mayor Montserrat Caballero, City of Tijuana. There were also presentations from visual artist Jorge (Jofras) Francisco Sánchez and graphic designer Katalina Silva, who shared their vision on the use of design.
“The World Design Capital 2024 project was created with the aim of connecting ideas, efforts and presenting a proposal for San Diego and Tijuana to be designated as the World Design Capital,” said Jorge (Jofras) Francisco Sánchez. “Today we want to highlight the history of collaboration between the two border communities, expose and propose a paradigm shift to move from user-centered design to humanity-centered design.”
“The WDC2024 programme celebrates the region with the purpose of highlighting achievements in design and promoting collective action to face the challenges of our community through creativity and design, and the following actions: expose the work of designers and creatives in all fields; inspire our communities to discover the numerous ways in which design influences our day-by-day life; strengthen our community with the necessary tools to apply design intentionally; commemorate the history of design and innovation In our region and; link to our cross-border community through design,” said Katalina Silva.
Following the workshop, the community was joined by Megan Groth, author of the book “The Places We Love”, who referred to Tijuana and San Diego as “two incredible cities with public-access spots throughout our region that make them unique and spectacular.” Attendees also enjoyed a live performance from the TJ Youth Symphony Trio, learned more about the WDC 2024 Club and the work the diverse group of young individuals will be doing throughout the year.
WDC 2024 Community Initiatives & Impact Displays
WDC 2024 is endorsing 300+ community initiatives consisting of a diverse range of projects, events, exhibitions, activations, and more offering opportunities for active participation and engagement. The Community Programmes will advance the mission of WDC 2024 to transform the region through the lens of design, curated and led by community members from San Diego and Tijuana. Some of these initiatives include the Bebe Bus, an adapted bus to assist children 0 to 3 years of age with educational activities; CETYS AcelerArt, a platform designed to build community and stakeholder engagement to promote entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries; Transfronterizo, ways to integrate Tijuana and San Diego-based students who cross the border daily for school or work to achieve access to higher education opportunities in San Diego; and Without Walls (WOW) Festival, La Jolla Playhouse’s signature performance programme that takes art outside traditional theater walls
Signature Events
Throughout 2024, WDC will host a series of events, exhibitions and summits including the World Design Festival (May 1-5) powered by Tijuana Design Week in Tijuana and the World Design Experience (September 18-25) powered by the Design Forward Alliance and San Diego Design Week in San Diego. Additional events include the World Policy Conference powered by the City of San Diego and UC San Diego Design Lab on November 12-13 in San Diego; the World Design Network of Cities organized in partnership with the City of San Diego, the City of Tijuana, and the World Design Organization on November 15 in Tijuana; and the WDC 2024 Convocation Ceremony organized in partnership with the World Design Organization on November 16 at The Salk Institute.
Temporary Art Installation
WDC 2024 has selected internationally recognized visual artist, Daniel Ruanova from Tijuana and full-service architecture and design agency Heleo, to create a temporary art installation titled “EXCHANGE Pavilion” that will come to life in the Plaza de Panama at Balboa Park and the Palacio Municipal de Tijuana.
World Design Spotlight
WDC 2024 launched their monthly “World Design Spotlight” series curated by AIGA. Throughout the year, WDC 2024 will be creating digital content capsules to share stories of design that shape the region. The spotlights will highlight design-driven innovations, designers, design firms, design studios, and projects in the San Diego Tijuana region. The series is kicking off with the internationally-recognized Taylor Guitars.
For more information about WDC2024, visit: https://wdc2024.org
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About World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024
The World Design Capital® (WDC) is designated every two years by World Design Organization® (WDO) to recognize a city’s innovative and effective use of design to strengthen economic, social, cultural and environmental development. Through a year-long programme of design-related events, WDC provides a platform to showcase best practices in design-led policy and innovation, increase civic engagement, and attract business and tourism. The selection of the San Diego Tijuana joint bid makes it the first cross-border World Design Capital in history. While the designation is for both cities as one connected community, San Diego is the first U.S. city ever to receive the designation. Tijuana is the second city in Mexico to hold the title, following Mexico City in 2018. WDC 2024 will host a series of events, exhibitions and summits including six signature events and supporting over 300 public events and initiatives that address the region’s most pressing challenges through design, and create a unified force for regional transformation. The region’s winning bid reflects the collective efforts of founding partners UC San Diego Design Lab, Design Forward Alliance, Burnham Center for Community Advancement, City of San Diego and City of Tijuana, and numerous community supporters. More information about World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 is available at wdc2024.org.
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