Located in the heart of Northern Europe, less an hour and a half from London, Paris and Brussels, the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) is composed of 95 towns and villages, gathering more than 1 million citizens in both rural and urban territory. 

The largest city of the MEL conglomerate, Lille, boasts over 230,000 inhabitants and is often regarded as an important cultural capital for much of Northern France. An area that once faced economic upheaval, it is now a region of great cultural diversity, and there is a palpable entrepreneurial vibe inspired by a plethora of start-ups, local businesses and large university campuses. Designated as the European Capital of Culture in 2004, it is a territory with a strong identity, urban and rural, where the natural environment coexists alongside a rich design scene.

With a promise to engage designers, citizens, entrepreneurs, researchers and artists close to home and from around the globe, Lille Metropole demonstrated throughout their bid how the World Design Capital designation would be leveraged to develop the world’s greatest collaborative design agency – deploying a collaborative design approach that would speak to the region’s entire population. Central to this mission was the POCs (proof of concept) programme, which included some 600 projects experimenting with the idea of designing together, and highlighting that the design process is just as important as the final result.