Published on August 05, 2021

The World Design Capital® is designated every two years by the World Design Organization (WDO), which is dedicated to promoting the design profession worldwide. The objective is to recognize cities that use design as a tool to stimulate economic, social, cultural and environmental development. The latest cities chosen have been Turin, Seoul, Helsinki, Cape Town, Taipei, Mexico City and Lille; an interesting mixture of cities that have established design as a key method of transformation.

Valencia, the third most populated city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona, will be the World Design Capital for 2022. This title will mark the beginning of a series of cultural events throughout 2021 and 2022 that will aim to establish a legacy of design that will remain within the social fabric of both the city and the country. The work developed in Valencia over the last hundred years in the areas of design, architecture, interior design and illustration, position the city as one that stands out for its creativity.

Valencia's role as World Design Capital is both to value Spanish design and to act as executor of social change and urban innovation. The idea for the city's nomination arose as the project of a consolidated civil society team, composed of business executives, professionals and designers, who teamed up to properly transmit the spirit of the initiative to companies and political institutions for their support. This was how the Associaciò València Capital del Disseny was born, which took charge of the entire project. The purpose of the project is to highlight Valencia for the quality of its Mediterranean design that denotes various progressive values, such as inclusion, joy, empathy, social justice, gender equality, sustainability and education.

One of the main goals is to promote Spanish design, placing greater emphasis on Valencia through the creation of a common narrative that integrates the three provinces of the Comunitat Valenciana, and to position it as a national focus for the development of design and creativity. In addition to the always well-known focus on Catalan design, there is also Basque design, and for some time now, especially thanks to this initiative, Valencian design. Likewise, it seeks to create networks and collaborations around innovation that include players from different areas such as the economic, social and cultural sectors, to promote the professional design sector. The project also aims to contribute to the creation of design strategies that guarantee a sustainable and inclusive development at the territorial level, improving the population's quality of life.

Upcoming activities

EXHIBITION. 'València se ilustra'

The exhibition gathers 18 illustrators in a group exhibition that will unite all the exhibits carried out in the different neighborhoods of the city during the 2020-2021 edition of 'València se ilustra'.
Date: June 26 - July 27 2021
Location: La Rambleta, Bulevar Sur esquina Calle Pío IX, s/n, 46017, Valencia
Free entry

EXHIBITION. 40 years of serialized product at the l’Escola d’Art i Superior de Ceràmica de Manises

The exhibition shows a hundred pieces of ceramic projects conceived to be reproduced in series with the common denominator of the use of the mold, its singularities and evolution.
Date: June 17 - September 12 2021
Location: Claustro del Centre Cultural La Nauc/ Universitat, 2València
Free entry