NETWORK OF CITIES MEETING
& POLICY CONFERENCE
Two signature events of World Design Capital Lille Metropole 2020

LILLE METROPOLE, WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2020

In 2018, the World Design Organization (WDO)® designated the Lille Metropole as the World Design Capital for 2020. Following in the footsteps of Mexico, Taipei, Cape Town, Seoul, Helsinki and Turin, Lille is the first French city to be awarded this distinction.

	"The adventure of Lille Metropole, World Design Capital 2020 represents a tremendous opportunity for our territory, accelerator of influence and catalyst of sizes. This year will allow the Eurometropolis to become the largest collaborative design agency bringing together designers, citizens and entrepreneurs." Damien CASTELAIN, PRESIDENT OF LILLE METROPOLE
	"One of Lille Metropole's ambitions for World Design Capital® 2020 was for the entire region to become a living laboratory for the design of public services. Despite adjusting to programme postponements due to the current crisis never wavered in their commitment to engaging their city in collaborative, explorative design-driven projects. We are proud to recognize their efforts through the WDC Network of Cities meeting and WD Policy conference this October!" Srini SRINIVASAN, PRESIDENT OF WORLD DESIGN ORGANIZATION – 2020-
	"Lille Metropole’s strategic location in the heart of Europe will allow the entire region to benefit from the human-centred design projects to build more sustainable cities and communities." Luisa BOCCHIETTA, PRESIDENT OF WORLD DESIGN ORGANIZATION – 2017-2019

Together with over 1,600 designers and by bringing together local stakeholders - the business sector, charities, research and universities - as well as French and international design organisations, the Metropole has transformed itself into “a large-scale experimental territory.”

Inspired by the history of the Lille Metropole, shaped by its capacity to reinvent and by its creativity, the slogan for this year is “design is capital”. Together with the 90 municipalities that make up the Metropole, it has endeavoured to give design a greater role, with a view to developing and transforming local regions and public services and developing a design culture within businesses, local authorities and the community.

Although its plans were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, Lille Metropole 2020, World Design Capital has been able to adapt, offering a varied, packed programme involving the local community, entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and the public sector.

By encouraging, mobilising and uniting the strengths in the region, the “design is capital” slogan has been fully backed up by Lille Metropole's commitment, with innovative, jointly planned solutions to this unprecedented, sudden crisis.

Although we are still vigilant and on our guard, our efforts now mean that we can continue this “design” adventure.

The Lille Metropole, its residents, designers, entrepreneurs, artists and international partners are delighted to welcome you to Lille, during our online events, to discover and take part in Lille Metropole 2020, World Design Capital.

SIGNATURE EVENTS

As two key fixtures of the World Design Capital® (WDC) programme, The WORLD DESIGN POLICY CONFERENCE and The WORLD DESIGN NETWORK OF CITIES MEETING strive to foster open dialogue and collaboration in an effort to further design-led policy development and the global resonance of the WDC programme legacy.

NETWORK OF CITIES MEETING and POLICY CONFERENCE, two digital events supported by Cisco and organized through Webex meeting.

ABOUT WORLD DESIGN NEWORK OF CITIES MEETING

At a time when cities are faced with rampant urbanisation, economic disparities, pressure for sustainable reform and, more recently, a global pandemic and an economic crisis, the WDC NETWORK OF CITIES MEETING offers an international platform for Mayors and leading agents in urban development to meet and exchange their ideas on the role of design-based solutions in constructing sustainable, fair and prosperous cities.

ABOUT WORLD DESIGN POLICY CONFERENCE

The WD CAPITAL POLICY CONFERENCE is a specialist event offering a global platform for a rich exchange of ideas, viewpoints and best practices from different countries, regions and cities that develop, launch and maintain an effective design policy.

The purpose of this dynamic conference, offering presentations and panel discussions, is to demonstrate the role of design in the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of cities and their residents, and to encourage the development of urban policies focused on design, in the WDC city and elsewhere.

Previous conferences have explored themes such as “Shaping the Global Design Agenda” at the WDC in Turin (2008), “Design for Public Policy, Social Impact and Sustainable Futures” at the WDC in Taipei (2016) and “Make A Plan” at the WDC in Cape Town (2014).

ABOUT WDO

World Design Organization (WDO)® is an international non-governmental organization that promotes the profession of industrial design and its ability to generate better products and systems, better business and industry, and ultimately a better environment and society. As the international voice for industrial design, WDO advocates, promotes, and shares knowledge of industrial design-driven innovation that has the power to create a better world.

WDO's international programmes, which includes World Design Capital®, are designed to enable collaborations between the global industrial design community, to identify challenges and opportunities, and to address some of the world's most significant challenges, from a design point of view.