The city of Taipei, Taiwan, has taken a step closer to becoming the next World Design Capital (WDC) in 2016, because it transpires the city was the only one to bother entering.
“The WDC Selection Committee was not discouraged by the one bid submitted,” mumbled a nervous spokesman from the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), “but rather leveraged this opportunity to focus its assessment on the viability of the application.
“The same rigour will be applied to ensure that the proper evaluation metrics are enforced to determine whether the City of Taipei will meet all criteria.”
The 2016 designation will mark the fifth cycle for the WDC programme established by Icsid as a yearlong platform demonstrating the value of design when utilised by cities to empower revitalisation strategies from a social, cultural and economic perspective.
Next year sees Cape Town take the honour, which is likely to be slightly tainted following a no-show by other world cities for the 2016 bid.
Strangely, the committee is pressing forward with its necessary ‘two-day onsite evaluation’, in which they will explore the city’s rich design (read: ‘have an expenses-paid holiday’).
Expect the final results to be announced at another piss-up… sorry, ceremony, on 31 December this year.
