Cape Town has been named World Design Capital for the year 2014, ahead of fellow short-listed cities, Dublin and Bilbao.

The sought-after accolade was awarded to the Mother City on 26 October 2011 at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in Taipei.

Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, accepted the award on behalf of Cape Town, South Africa and the African continent.

Explaining the importance of the title, De Lille said: “This is a significant moment for Cape Town, and our World Design Capital year comes at a historic time. 2014 will be the celebration of 20 years of democracy in our country, 20 years of freedom which we shall all celebrate.’

The Cape Town Partnership started the World Design Capital bidding process over a year ago, on behalf of the City of Cape Town, with the formation of a Bid Committee tasked with framing the theme of Cape Town’s bid and sourcing content and case studies for a compelling bid book. The theme was “Live Design. Transform Life”.

Cape Town’s bid gained widespread public and private sector support and provided the opportunity and platform to embed design thinking into urban development planning for social and economic growth. The accolade also enhances Cape Town’s reputation globally as being a place that is known for more than just its natural beauty.

Urban tourism is by far the biggest segment of the global tourism market, and previous World Design Capital title holders have seen increased visitor numbers as a result of the designation.

The World Design Capital 2014 title results in a year-long programme of design-focused events that will see creative communities across the globe turning to Cape Town for social, economic and cultural solutions. These connections are vital in the long-term links the

city will secure with global role-players within creative industries.

Extracts from the Cape Town World Design Capital 2014 Bid Book can be found on www.capetown2014.co.za

View Cape Town’s winning video, premiered in Taipei at the IDA Congress and the video that helped Cape Town clinch the World Design Capital 2014 title. Other platforms for support include a Facebook page: Cape Town for World Design Capital, a Twitter feed: CapeTown2014 and the Twitter hash tag: #WDC2014.

Click here to view a video of the celebration as Cape Town was announced World Design Capital 2014.