Designated every two years, the World Design Capital is a year-long initiative by the World Design Organization that highlights cities effectively using design to improve residents’ lives.
With prior WDC designations in Torino (2008), Seoul (2010), Helsinki (2012), Cape Town (2014), Taipei (2016), Mexico City (2018) and Lille Métropole (2020), these cities already had design at their core. During their WDC years, each demonstrated how design can raise quality of life. Those cities have since strengthened their roles as design hubs and continue to promote the value of design beyond their designation year.
© Ron Bernthal
València, a sun-soaked city on the Mediterranean, was already known for the City of Arts and Sciences, one of Europe’s largest scientific and cultural complexes designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. Located along a 1.2-mile stretch of the old Turia riverbed, the complex comprises six main elements: Hemisfèric, an IMAX cinema and digital film venue; Umbracle, a landscaped viewpoint and walkway; the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, an interactive science center; Oceanogràfic, Europe’s largest aquarium housing more than 500 marine species; the Reina Sofía Palace of the Arts; and Ágora, a multipurpose space for concerts and events.
València’s World Design Capital program for 2022 features around 100 events spanning all design disciplines. The citywide program aims to immerse residents and visitors in design—through exhibitions, workshops, installations and public programs—transforming València into an even more vibrant, creative destination where design is seen, tasted and experienced every day.