Designing the Future: San Diego-Tijuana World Design Capital 2024

The World Design Capital is a biennial designation promoted by the World Design Organization (WDO), which recognizes cities for their effective use of design for economic, social, cultural and environmental development.

This border region creates a unique and special bond; it is a multicultural home for exchange, creative energy and experimentation. We believe in the power of our cities and are confident that through human-centered design, we can achieve a better future.

Cross-border collaboration and innovation are nothing new for the Cali-Baja megaregion. In the wake of the pandemic, socio-political changes and continued regional growth, the World Design Capital 2024 designation is a unifying platform that will elevate the region to a global stage.

The theme we competed with was HOME/ HOGAR which we defined as a safe place, what matters and everything we decide based on our values; a convergence of diverse components of life understood from the busiest border in the world. It is also an acronym for the most important principles of this work:

• Human-centered. Human-centered design.
• Open. Opening.
• Multi-disciplinary/ Multi-cultural. Multidisciplinary-multicultural.
• Experimental.

The objectives of this designation celebrate community projects, continue legacy initiatives, create binational challenges, prioritize leaders, organizations and communities in both cities, etc. To this end, six challenge areas were identified we will be able to work on:

• Reimagining the border
• Design against homelessness
• Design for equity and fairness
• Ecological design for green and blue habitats
• Design leadership
• Making the design visible

There were 2 phases prior to the appointment, where we were part of the Binational Organizing Committee:

The first was from Bid (Tender), in which we coordinated work teams on a voluntary basis to offer all that the city of Tijuana has to offer in areas such as education, museums, galleries, centers of excellence, research, collectives, etc., which gathered information to elaborate a storytelling which describes in detail the project and its challenge areas; the locations and designers of both cities; and important facts about San Diego-Tijuana.

In phase 2, during the preparations prior to the experience visit to receive the WDO, we worked on the look and feelWe suggested activities, sites, food and events based on an itinerary that would provide the necessary tools to transmit what San Diego and Tijuana are as a region.

Demonstrating design in our cities; fostering ideas together with leaders and experts in the field; building community and proposing platforms to present projects; and sharing ways of organizing are just the beginning of the hard work to be done as World Design Capital by 2024.

Let’s join forces! https://home2024.com

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