The Mother City has passed through the straits of waiting to be included in the final round of this worldwide urban design competition. We are competing directly with the cities of Dublin and Bilbao for the title that will be announced in October in Taipei.
While we’re basking in our success, let’s also remember that now is when the real work begins.We have a bid book detailing the reasons why the ICSID team (those from the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, who judge the World Design Capital bid) chose to come to Cape Town, but it will take the combined energy of everyone involved in design to convince the delegates that we are worthy of the title. While the future is waiting, history is watching. To echo the sentiment of Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana,MD of Cape Town Partnership, winning the award – and the world’s recognition of how far we’ve come and how we’re using design to uplift the lives of everyone in the city – will be a really, really wonderful way to celebrate two decades of democracy. 2014 marks this anniversary.
If you’re curious about Cape Town Partnership’s role as curatorof this momentous exercise, follow the earlier Creative Cape Town stories tracing the steps of the bid process.
World Design Capital in short
World Design Capital bid in more detail
And they’re off! Bidding commences
The Cape Town for World Design Capital 2014 site has some fantastic and inspiring stories that illustrate why working together is working for us:
Transforming the city by design (Cape Argus, 5 April 2011)
Socially responsive architecture that puts humanity into the outcomewritten by Laura Robinson, Lorelle Bell and Alex Jongens
Rooftop gardens and biodiversity (Weekend Argus, 27 November 2010)
Reinventing Cape Town in all its parts is the key to making it a whole, wholesome city by Iain Harris (Cape Argus, 24 November 2010)
Design choices hold the key to the future sustainability of Cape Town bySean O’Toole (Cape Argus, 24 November 2010)
Now’s the time to get involved! Below are some key examples of how Cape Town is using design to become more competitive, attractive, liveable and efficient and in so doing improving social, cultural and economic life. Have a look, explore the site, join the Facebook fan page, and find out how you can get involved in the final bid. Your support of a city redefining, rebuilding, reconnecting and repositioning itself through design and doing is key to our success.
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From the bid book:Cape Town as a Creative Capital
REBUILDING COMMUNITIES: CASE STUDY 1
How does a city like Cape Town, once torn apart by the legacies of colonialism and apartheid, and still in the relative infancy of a new democracy, approach its vastly different peoples with a view to inclusivity, reconnection and creating a city for all? First and foremost, it must rebuild its communities. This case study looks at three examples of how rebuilding is taking place in low-income communities in particular, and how we are using design to alleviate the problems around social housing.
RECONNECTING INFRASTRUCTURE: CASE STUDY 2
Apartheid not only caused ideological disconnects in the City of Cape Town, it also disconnected entire communities in terms of the supply of infrastructure and services, and in turn disconnected them from employment opportunities and other resources. In the second of our case study sections, we outline three projects that illustrate just how the “reconnection” is starting to take place – reconnecting people to the places they must have access to in order to experience economic opportunities and quality of life.
REPOSITIONING FOR THE FUTURE: CASE STUDY 3
Sustainability, densification and the knowledge economy are all key phrases in Cape Town’s plans for the future, not only in terms of developing its local skills base and economy, but also in terms of becoming a significant contributor to and player in the international landscape. Part of the City of Cape Town’s vision is to become “… one of the greatest cities in the world to live, work, invest and discover.” This final case study considers diverse ways people are starting to realise this vision – from innovative technologies developed in Cape Town and a design showcase to rival the best in the world, to the development of a model for a sustainable future.
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PS:You can download the “I Support…” button, include it in your email signature, embed it on your website, post it as your profile picture, make of it a bumper sticker, turn it into a tear repair kit – or what about a denim jacket overhaul, a new-look bikini detail, cool coasters, even cooler posters. Go wild!
You could also blog about it.
And, meet our competitors:
