Table of Contents
- Innovating Cities through Design - The Meaning of 'World Design Capital'
- Busan City Achieves Final Selection as World Design Capital (WDC) for 2028!
- Busan's Competitiveness Recognized by the World Design Organization (WDO)
- Examples of Selected Cities as World Design Capitals
- Busan, Now a Global Design Hub City
- Design is Not 'Form' but 'A Way of Life'
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Innovating Cities through Design - The Meaning of 'World Design Capital'
The World Design Capital (WDC) is not merely a design event. It is an international city brand awarded to cities that are recognized for leading social, cultural, economic, and environmental changes through design. This system is governed by the World Design Organization (WDO) every two years and offers the opportunity to develop the entire city into a single design platform.
Design goes beyond mere visual elements; it exists across various sectors including public policy, architecture, transportation, welfare, education, and citizen participation. When these elements combine to enhance the quality of life in the city, the true value of design is realized. The World Design Capital can be seen as an honorable status bestowed upon a city where this philosophy and practice are in harmony.
Busan City Achieves Final Selection as World Design Capital (WDC) for 2028!
News has come that Busan City has been finally selected as the World Design Capital (WDC) for 2028. This represents only the second case for a Korean city since Seoul in 2010, and it is the eleventh globally. This selection is a result of a fierce competition with Hangzhou, China, and is viewed as an important milestone for Busan on its path to becoming a global city.
Busan has proposed the theme 'An Inclusive City, Engaged Design'. As a result, it seems to have received high scores in citizen participation-oriented service design policies and design-based urban innovation capabilities. Through this evaluation, Busan is expected to encounter many more opportunities in the future.
Busan's Competitiveness Recognized by the World Design Organization (WDO)
In June, a review team from the WDO visited Busan and inspected several design projects. They visited key locations such as Yeongdo Very Very Good Bongsan Village, the North Port area, Dongseo University, and F1963, observing how Busan implements urban regeneration and citizen participation through design.
The WDO evaluated Busan as a "city that presents a sustainable urban development model," noting that its practical design culture and data-driven policies could gain global attention. This assessment shows that Busan has officially recognized potential and possibilities as a global design city.
Busan is expected to continue strengthening design and citizen participation through ongoing development and play an important role in the international design community.
Examples of Selected Cities as World Design Capitals
| Year | City | Country | Theme Keywords |
| 2008 | Turin | Italy | Industrial Regeneration and Creativity |
| 2010 | Seoul | South Korea | Public Design, Citizen Participation |
| 2012 | Helsinki | Finland | Open Collaboration, Service Design |
| 2014 | Cape Town | South Africa | Social Innovation, Urban Problem Solving |
| 2016 | Taipei | Taiwan | Adaptive Design, Urban Transformation |
| 2018 | Mexico City | Mexico | Socially Responsible Design |
| 2020 | Lille Metropolis | France | Design in Daily Life |
| 2022 | Valencia | Spain | Change through Design |
| 2024 | San Diego & Tijuana | USA & Mexico | Cross-Border Design Collaboration |
| 2026 | Frankfurt | Germany | Democracy and Design |
| 2028 | Busan | South Korea | Inclusive and Participatory Design |
Busan, Now a Global Design Hub City
With the designation as the World Design Capital, Busan plans to promote various projects. First and foremost, it focuses on enhancing design-related infrastructure and expanding programs for citizen participation.
Additionally, it plans to host the World Design Congress to promote exchanges with the global design community.
In 2028, large-scale events such as the World Design Street Festival, Design Experience Week, Design Policy Conference, and forums among global design cities are expected to be held throughout Busan. Through these opportunities, Busan is anticipated to establish itself as a center of design.
Design is Not 'Form' but 'A Way of Life'
Busan's selection as the World Design Capital can be seen as the result of approaching design not merely as a tool but as a philosophy. This means 'designing life,' fundamentally redesigning the lives of citizens beyond merely beautifying the exterior.
Design illuminates the future of cities through the participation and sharing of all people. Under the new vision of 'Design City Busan,' we look forward to the creation of a sustainable and creative urban environment. This is expected to greatly contribute to the development of Busan.
#WorldDesignCapital, #BusanWDC2028, #WDO, #UrbanDesign, #DesignHub, #PublicDesign, #BusanDesignPromotionAgency, #BusanGlobalCity, #DesignBranding, #SustainableCity, #BusanUrbanPolicy, #BusanDesignCapital, #CitizenParticipatoryDesign, #ServiceDesign, #SocialInnovationCity, #DesignSeoul, #WorldDesignOrganization, #UrbanBranding, #UrbanRegenerationDesign, #BusanNorthPortRegeneration, #BusanYeongdoDesign, #BusanDesignFestival, #WorldDesignSpotlight, #BusanPublicDesign, #DesignPolicy, #DesignCultureCity, #WorldDesignCongress, #ChangingCitiesThroughDesign, #CommunicatingThroughDesign, #Busan2028WDC
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the World Design Capital (WDC)?
The World Design Capital is an international city brand recognized for social, cultural, economic, and environmental changes through design.
The World Design Capital (WDC) is not just an event but an international city brand given to cities that achieve innovation in social, cultural, economic, and environmental fields through design. Organized by the World Design Organization (WDO) every two years, it provides the opportunity to develop the city into a design platform. Design plays a role in enhancing the quality of life in cities, combining various fields such as public policy, architecture, transportation, welfare, education, and citizen participation.
Q. What is the meaning and background of Busan's selection as the World Design Capital?
Busan has been selected as the World Design Capital for 2028, becoming the second city in Korea and the eleventh globally.
Busan's final selection as the World Design Capital (WDC) for 2028 represents the second instance for Korean cities and the eleventh worldwide. This achievement was made in competition with Hangzhou, China, marking an important milestone for Busan to leap forward as a global design hub city. Busan received high evaluations for its citizen participation-oriented service design policies and urban innovation capabilities under the theme of 'An Inclusive City, Engaged Design.'
Q. What aspects of Busan were highly appreciated by the World Design Organization (WDO)?
The WDO highlighted Busan's sustainable urban development model and its practical design culture and data-driven policies.
The WDO review team evaluated urban regeneration and citizen participation methods by visiting various design projects in Busan. They particularly noted Busan's presentation of sustainable urban development models through design in places like Yeongdo Very Very Good Bongsan Village, the North Port area, Dongseo University, and F1963. This assessment signifies that Busan's potential and possibilities as a global design city have been officially recognized.
Q. What are the major projects Busan plans after being selected as the World Design Capital?
Busan plans to strengthen design infrastructure, expand citizen participation, and promote various events including the World Design Congress.
After the selection, Busan intends to enhance its design-related infrastructure and expand citizen participation programs. It also plans to hold the World Design Congress to promote exchanges with the global design community. In 2028, various large-scale events such as the World Design Street Festival, Design Experience Week, policy conferences, and global forums are expected to be held throughout Busan, establishing it as a design hub.
Q. What is the philosophy of design that Busan pursues as the World Design Capital?
It is a philosophy that views design as a way of life and designs the future of the city through citizen participation and sharing.
Busan defines design not merely as beautifying appearances but as 'designing life,' fundamentally redesigning the lives of citizens. It believes that the city's future is brightened through the participation and sharing process of all citizens. Under the new vision of 'Design City Busan,' the creation of a sustainable and creative urban environment is expected to make significant contributions to Busan's development.
