MindMapSA Issue 9

and economic growth. This accolade has enhanced CapeTown’s global reputation, now it’s not only known as a placewith natural beauty and a place with vast cultures, but alsoas one that takes design into serious account and as somethingthat can enhance the quality of life of its citizens.Patricia de Lille who is a member of the Democratic Alliance(DA), and is also the Mayor of Cape Town, acceptedthe award on behalf of the city. In her acceptance speechshe mentioned that the city belongs to its people and it musttherefore be designed for them and with them and their communities.She also expressed what an honour it was for thecity to be awarded this prize, “It is an honour for me to beaddressing you here today as mayor of the first Africancity to be named a World Design Capital,” said de LilleThe theme which can be found in the 465 page bid book, and wonCape Town the bid was ‘live design. Transform life.’ When speakingto people of the general public many of them said that thistheme is self explanatory and that it can refer to how design canhelp you see things in life differently because of design and art.According to www.capetown2014.co.za, the official World DesignCapital website of Cape Town the meaning of the theme isfocused strongly on socially responsive design. “Our bid recognisedand mobilised Cape Town’s considerable design resourcestowards addressing the legacies of our city’s apartheid past. Itis aimed specifically at dealing with the vast imbalances thatexist in our society,” is how the website describes their theme.This was all organised into three broad themes: rebuildingCape Town through communities working together, to reconnectCape Town through infrastructural development and thelast theme is to reposition Cape Town’s economic knowledgeThe tourism market that is so great and is always growingin South Africa and more so in Cape Town, urban tourismis by far the biggest segment of the global tourism market,previous holders of this prize have seen an increase inthe number of visitors due to this title that they once had.Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana Managing Director of the CapeTown Partnership and co-ordinator of the bid said on behalf ofthe city of Cape Town that it was the support of stakeholders thatensured that they won this privilege, “It has been a long and rewardingjourney to get to this point. The real key success has beenthe partnerships that have been forged during the bid process, andunwavering support of the City of Cape Town and the ProvincialGovernment of the Western Cape,” said Makalima-NgewanaThe title of World Design Capital 2014 results in a year long programmeof design focused events that will allow creative communitiesglobally, to turn to Cape Town for social, economic and culturalsolutions. The city is awarded the prize in advance to allowthem sufficient time to prepare, develop and promote a year longprogramme of World Design Capital themed events for their designatedyear. In the year 2014 we should look for design pieces andprojects around the winning theme; “Live Design. Transform Life”.51