Officials at the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design announced Monday during a general assembly meeting that Tapei, Taiwan would be the official 2016 World Design Capital. This was only a matter of time as, back in August, the city had been the only one selected by the committee as a finalist.
Taipei launched a campaign under the slogan “Adaptive City: Design in Motion,” implying that design kept the city in forward momentum and good design benefitted the general population. Government officials there have held more than 600 workshops and sessions in the last year, addressing how good design can keep a populace moving forward.
Irene Wu, the director of the big from the Taiwan Design Center, offered an example: “Through collaboration with designers, this project delivered new outfits that increase the visibility of cleaners on the street, thus improving their work safety, and a new set of tools that [is cheaper to replace],” she told ArtInfo.
Officials launched 20 new public projects immediately, including a reconstruction of Minglun Elementary School to address the decline in enrollment, a city museum at Taipei Expo Park, developing more pleasing streetscapes, constructing more comfortable bus shelters, and creating new public hotspots to spur creative energies throughout the city.
Advocates hope to see a 5 percent increase in tourism as a result of the decision. Other cities to hold the owner include Torino, Italy in 2008, Seoul, Korea in 2010, Helsinki, Finland in 2012, and Cape Town, South Africa, currently preparing a 2014 program.
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[via ArtInfo]
