The main international organisations behind the World Design Capital project met in Helsinki for the first time on Friday, September 24, 2010, marking Helsinki's status as the next World Design Capital and the anticipation of Helsinki's Design Year 2012.
The organisations met to review their expectations for the World Design Capital project.
Pointing out that more than half of the world's population lives in cities, Icsid President Mark Breitenberg said that the 21st century is defined by the challenges of cities, addressing an audience at Helsinki City Hall after the first session of the Friday meeting.
"World Design Capital is an opportunity to address the problems, and creativity and economic development are the key drivers of the new century.
Design is a tool for cities to reinvent themselves," Dr. Breitenberg envisioned.
more: icsid.org (123)