Cape Town named World Design Capital

Photo taken on July 4， 2010 shows the bird's-eye view of Cape Town， South Africa. (Xinhua File Photo)

CAPE TOWN, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- South African scenic city Cape Town has been named World Design Capital for 2014, becoming the first African city to win the award, according to news reaching here on Wednesday.

Cape Town beat Dublin of Ireland and Bilbao of Spain to become the World Design Capital, said News24, a local news outlet.

Cape Town's bid was based on creating an inclusive city by using design thinking in its urban development plans, said the report.

The announcement was made on Wednesday morning at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in Taipei, according to the report.

The World Design Capital 2014 title will result in a year-long program of design-focused events that will see design used for social, economic and cultural transformation.

Cape Town Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille accepted the award on behalf of Cape Town and the African continent, saying that 2014 will be the celebration of 20 years of democracy in the country.

"It is an honor for me to be addressing you here today as mayor of the first African city to be named a World Design Capital. A city belongs to its people and it must be designed for and with them and their communities. For many years, people have been applying innovative solutions to our challenges. They have been using design to transform various aspects of life. But they have often been working without an overarching social goal in mind.

"The World Design Capital bid process and title have helped to bring different initiatives together and have made us realize that design in all its forms, when added together, creates human and city development," De Lille said.

"The World Design Capital designation gives cities like Cape Town additional motivation to actively think of transformative design in development plans. We look forward to learning from other cities that are using design as a tool for transformation, including past winners Torino, Seoul and Helsinki and our fellow short-listed cities, Dublin and Bilbao. We are honored to have been considered with them."