Taipei has been selected by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) as the only municipality to move on to the next phase in the process towards becoming the 2016 World Design Capital (WDC). The selection committee is expected to conduct an onsite evaluation and comprehensive report prior to releasing an official announcement in September.
The World Design Capital is a city promotion project that celebrates the merits of design. Held biennially, it seeks to highlight the accomplishments of cities that are truly leveraging design as a tool to improve the social, cultural and economic life of cities, throughout a yearlong program of design-related events.
Past cities to hold the designation include Torino, Italy (2008); Seoul, South Korea (2010); and Helsinki, Finland (2102). Currently, the South African city of Cape Town is preparing to be the 2014 WDC.
