cities

Overview of flagship programme
As part of the contract signed with Icsid, the City of Cape Town was required to host seven World Design
Capital (WDC) events, including a Design Policy Conference and Design Week. To manage WDC2014, the
city established an independent not-for-profit implementing agency, Cape Town Design (CTD), which was
funded through a three-year grant from the city and additional sponsorships raised by CTD.
Following a public call for submission, a year-long programme was developed that featured over 460 projects,
activities and events. These were categorised into clusters, with each cluster having several sub-categories.
The clusters included lifestyle (design that gives meaning through fashion, arts, culture, sports and recreation),
business that builds (design that adds value to the economy through innovation, finance, systems and social
entrepreneurship), sustainability solutions (design that focuses on efficiency and resilience related to food,
energy, water and the natural environment), connections that unite (design that elevates communication,
transportation and social cohesion), education that elevates (design that shares knowledge through schools,
exhibitions and skills development), and community Improvement (design that improves health, wellness,
housing and urban development).
City of
CApe Town
Examples of projects
Moya We Khaya Peace Gardens
Cape Town Street Food Festival
Thula Baba Box
“Architecture of the Post Colony” symposium
“Your City Idea”
Bicycle Cape Town
A 10 000m 2 community food garden project in Khayelitsha, aiming to transform the lives of the community.
This festival celebrated Cape Town’s most-loved street food and supported culinary entrepreneurs.
Mothers were provided with an essential care box with items needed to care for a new-born baby.
Architects met under a post-colonial architectural theme.
A ballot box was moved between public places and space, such as Cape Town International Airport,
Cape Town train station, and asked the public to submit their written views on the future of the city.
Acommunity campaign to promote bicycle culture in Cape Town and advocate a healthy, safe, cyclingfriendly
city for all.
The City of Cape Town also implemented a number of internal projects using a methodology designed to
assess the application of design thinking. Almost 80 projects were identified and implemented, and included:
• Access to basic services for backyard dwellers: Provision of a tap, wash trough and enclosed flush toilet to
backyard dwellers.
• Anti-retroviral clubs: Stable and responding HIV patients now spend only 30 minutes at clinics every few
months, reducing crowding at the clinics.
• Computerising the management of graces: Cemetery booking system converted paper records to a
uniform computerised SAP system.
• City Men for Change: A support group of male staff designed to help men examine their attitudes and
behaviour around gender stereotypes.
• Superstar ‘green’ building: Manenberg Human Settlements Contact Centre promotes a “whole-building”
approach through water saving, energy efficiency, the use of non-toxic building material, healthier indoor
environmental quality and the promotion of social connectivity.
• Langa Cultural Precinct: The Guga S’thebe Arts and Culture Centre, the Old Pass Office Museum, the Old
Post Office building and Mendi Park are in the precinct.
City of cape town: Design Capital 323