SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2024 (ENG)

BY ARMANDO GARCÍA ORSO

What is the World Design Capital?

The World Design Organization is a group of professional associations, societies, and educational institutions whose objective is to promote design as a tool to improve the living conditions of cities and communities.

This was achieved through a series of initiatives to support the effectiveness of design in an attempt to meet the needs of people, and improve their quality of life, as well as the social development of their cities. One of these initiatives is the World Design Capital, which takes place every two years.

It began in 2008 with the city of Torino, Italy, followed by Seoul, South Korea (2010); Helsinki, Finland (2012); Cape Town, South Africa (2014); Taipei, Taiwan (2016); Mexico City, Mexico (2018); Lille Metropole, France (2020); Valencia, Spain (2022), and for 2024 the San Diego-Tijuana binational region has been selected.

THE VALENCIA EXPERIENCE

City of Arts and Science, Valencia, España

Current World Design Capital

Valencia, World Capital of Design-2022, has revealed that its mission as a cultural and economic catalyst goes far beyond managing an international event, and has generated a positive legacy in the city and society since the first months of the year. According to the projection of some estimates, it is plausible that by the end of 2022, Valencia will have captured the attention of more than two million people and will have attracted some 150,000 foreign visitors.

Among the direct benefits of this nomination, a milestone has been inaugurated by the Valencia City Hall: The creation of the Design Council, a new consultative structure made up of professionals and independent experts, which will advise the City Hall on the application of design to all areas of management and service to citizens. The objective of this council, a pioneer in Spain, will be to ensure excellence in design, architecture, and urban planning by promoting innovative design.

THE SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA APPROACH: EQUITY, ACCESS AND INCLUSION

Border Field State Park

Playas de Tijuana / San Ysidro

The proposal to declare the San Diego-Tijuana region as the World Design Capital was presented by the Design Forward Alliance with a particular focus on equity, access, and inclusion*. Based on this nomination, the region hopes to position the transnational community as a place of synergy and opportunity for design. With this binational proposal, for the first time in the history of WDC, two cities from two countries are awarded the distinction as a single Design Capital.

To understand this exception, it is necessary to clarify that, although they are separated by the border of the United States and Mexico, Tijuana and San Diego are two cities that have many elements in common. It is important to note that the other finalist city that competed with San Diego-Tijuana was Moscow, which recognized the importance of designating two border cities with a close relationship in areas such as the economy, urban planning, the environment, as well as the fields social and cultural among others.

One of the more active participants in this challenge is Tijuana Innovadora, through its DiseñoLab division, they are already working on various proposals in the fields of education, art, festivals, and the city itself, adding regional, national, and international allies. It will be an opportunity to show our potential as a binational region that we should not lose.

*Inclusive design: thinking about people with differences - ability, racial, cultural, or sexualand designing products and services for their experiences.

CBX Cross Border Xpress

Photo by Harrison Photographic