Just under 3 months into their designation as World Design Capital® 2022, Valencia has solidified its status as an epicentre of Mediterranean design. With a diverse programme of more than 100 design-led activities from now through the end of the year, the city is hard at work showcasing their commitment to design as a key driver for social and economic development within the region.
Organized through the framework of six key themes, namely health, education, innovation, heritage, inclusion, diversity, and sustainability, Valencia’s programme is also more than just a series of events. It is a chance to engage and empower citizens and infuse design as part of the city’s urban agenda.
As a Research Economist and Lecturer at the University of Valencia, Pau Rausell Köster is no stranger to Valencia’s World Design Capital journey. Together with WDC 2022 CEO Xavi Calvo, he was one of the main architects behind Valencia’s initial bid, and is now at work developing a methodology to evaluate and understand the programme’s long-term impact. We asked him to explore and outline some of the key targets driving Valencia’s World Design Capital legacy, now and into the future.
Starting from a small group of designers, entrepreneurs and professionals who believed in the city’s capacity to emerge as a world leader in design, to a larger group of municipal stakeholders and supporters, WDC Valencia continues to be guided by the community in which it serves. As noted by Rausell Köster, the goals of the initiative are to “evoke the potential of design as a fundamental motor for the development of the regional economy, society and culture.”
Emphasizing the importance of participatory processes and the engagement of citizens, Rausell Köster points to six larger targets that Valencia has identified to ensure that this process of urban regeneration, ignited as part of the city’s World Design Capital designation, continues beyond 2022. Hover on the images below to discover these objectives.