Taipei (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei) – The city of Taipei officially kicked off their World Design Capital® (WDC) year on 31 December with an elaborate ceremony and musical show, capped off by a stunning fireworks display at midnight.
Approximately 65 000 people were in attendance for the first signature event of the WDC year, the New Year’s Eve of Design. Mayor Ko Wen-je was joined on stage by Icsid President Dr. Mugendi M’Rithaa as they both helped to place miniatures of five iconic buildings on a map of Taipei, signifying the start of the year’s design-related events and activities.
Under the theme “Adaptive City – Design in Motion”, Taipei will leverage the WDC designation and engage its citizens to innovate and apply design thinking in their everyday lives, overcoming the constraints of limited resources. The aim is to collectively pursue continual renewal and a better quality of life in a more liveable city.
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About World Design Capital® (WDC)
With more than half the world’s population now living in cities, design has become an increasingly fundamental tool for making cities more competitive, attractive, liveable and efficient. The World Design Capital® (WDC) is designated by Icsid every two years to recognise a city’s innovative use of design for economic, social and cultural development and to showcase effective design-led revitalization strategies and projects that other cities can benefit from. Past cities to hold the WDC title include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, and Cape Town (South Africa) in 2014. Taipei (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei) holds the title for 2016, and Mexico City was named WDC 2018.
