Valencia picked as World Design Capital 2022
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 @ 9:50 AM
VALENCIA has been chosen as World Design Capital 2022, taking over from Lille, France and joining former capitals Helsinki, México DF, Taipei and Seoul.
It has beaten the Indian metropolis of Bangalore which, by the final judging round, was Valencia's only remaining rival.
Elected by the World Design Organisation (WDO), Spain's third-largest city won on the basis of its long history of innovative projects, starting way back in 1957 after the River Turia was diverted outside the main hub following the 'Great Flood' and the original watercourse was turned into a botanical garden.
Secretary of the WDO Bertrand Dérôme praises the 'precision, rigour and professionalism' of Valencia's candidature as well as the 'consistency, strength and maturity' of its design industry, which he witnessed during a two-day trip there along with a panel of judges.
Private initiatives for restoring historical heritage and turning it into useful public features – an example being the Carme Convent – were among the aspects which helped win Valencia the honour.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com