San Diego Park & Market, the WDC 2024 headquarters. The Signing Ceremony represents the first of seven official WDC events and serves as the public launch of World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024, a year-long celebration of our innovative cross-border region as we come together to design a better future.
Every two years, the World Design Organization (WDO) designates a World Design Capital (WDC) to recognize and showcase a city or region’s effective use of design in driving economic, social, cultural and environmental progress. Through a year-long program of events, the designated city showcases best practices in sustainable, design-led urban policy and innovation that improve quality of life. The cities of San Diego and Tijuana represent the first cross-border region to be designated World Design Capital, and 2024 represents the first time a U.S. city has been selected for this prestigious distinction.
The official Signing Ceremony was attended by more than 300 attendees from both sides of the US-Mexico border, serving to honor the vision, hard work, and support of all those who helped bring WDC to the region. In addition to a delegation of staff, leadership, and Board Members from the World Design Organization (WDO), attendees included regional corporate, academic and cultural leaders, dignitaries, members of the media, and members of the expansive design community.
Highlights of the event included a panel discussion with three local leaders who were instrumental in bringing World Design Capital to the region and who represent three of the current WDC 2024 strategic partners. Moderated by Carmen Cuenca from binational public art initiative, InSite Tijuana, panelists included Don Norman, Design Forward Alliance, former director of The Design Lab at UC San Diego; Mary Walshok, Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Programs (Retired), UC San Diego; and Malin Burnham, Chairman, Burnham Center for Community Advancement.
The Signing Ceremony featured speakers from each partner organization and the WDO, including Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, UC San Diego; David Kusuma, President of WDO; San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria; Alejandro Mungaray, City of Tijuana; Tad Seth Parzen, President and CEO, Burnham Center for Community Advancement, WDC Board; Seda Evis, Design Forward Alliance Board Member; WDC 2024 Board Chair Mai Nguyen, Director of The Design Lab at UC San Diego; and WDC 2024 CEO Carlos de la Mora.
On June 1, 2023, a public submissions process was launched to engage the more than seven million San Diego and Tijuana residents in redesigning the region through collaborative projects — from green infrastructure, to housing, to transportation, to food security, to restoring our shared ecosystem.
The year of activities, events and programming will spotlight the San Diego – Tijuana region as a global region of innovation, creativity, and design, celebrating the lasting impact design makes on the people who live and play in the cross-border region.
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Capital Mundial Del Diseño® San Diego Tijuana 2024 es una celebración de un año de duración sobre nuestra innovadora región transfronteriza en la cual nos unimos para diseñar un mejor futuro.
Updated this to Community, per Todd’s edit via email