Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 9 September 2015 | Page 57

d e s i g n ca p i ta l

WDC2014 –

The impact spilt nationally too,
with R1.11 in gross geographic
product (GGP) generated for
every R1 spent, translating to
a direct investment of
R25.2 million into the
provincial economy.

Last year was a momentous one for the Mother
City which was awarded the prestigious designation
of World Design Capital (WDC) 2014 by the
International Council for Societies of Industrial
Design (Icsid). Given to cities across the globe that
are showing commitment to using design as a social,
cultural and economic development tool, past cities
include Torino in Italy (2008), Seoul (2010) and
Helsinki (2012) with Taipei, the capital of Taiwan,
bestowed the title for 2016.
As South Africa’s oldest city, Cape Town is three
times the size of New York and often regarded as
the gateway to Africa. The majority of the 3.6 million
Capetonians are regarded as having the highest
standard of living of all South African cities, yet Cape
Town was still the first city in a developing country

to receive the honour. A spectacular New Year’s
Eve celebration at the iconic Grand Parade followed
with 365 days of forums, gala dinners, exhibitions,
workshops and community events celebrating the
creativity and transformation of design in the city.
But what did it all mean for the people of Cape Town
and South Africa?
The numbers in the city’s Economic Impact
Assessment Report tell a remarkable story - for
every R 1 spent in Cape Town’s R60 million WDC2014
budget, R2.46 was generated in direct and indirect
investment. The impact spilt nationally too, with
R 1.11 in gross geographic product (GGP) generated
for every R1 spent, translating to a direct investment
of R 25.2 million into the provincial economy.