Design Capital: Mother City of invention

Alayne Reesberg, the World Design Capital boss, spoke to Andrea Nagel

Why is Cape Town a good choice for World Design Capital 2014?

Cape Town put in a bid that showed how the city aimed to transform life through design. Our story was very much about design in service of the citizen. We were up against Bilbao and Dublin. Cape Town's issues and conditions seemed to resonate more with emerging market cities, which is very different from the contexts offered by Dublin and Bilbao.

What has Cape Town got, in design terms, that no other city has?

The critical combination of people, nature and history that created our unique context.

Why is design important for a city?

Design thinking, the discipline that designers are taught, is increasingly seen as a powerful tool whereby the needs of the citizen may be understood and met. If we can inculcate public awareness about design as a methodology , one could expect greater citizen participation and co-creating of solutions with the appropriate design experts.

What's the most important thing you've learned from your time as CEO of Cape Town Design NPC?

If business doesn't "get" the power and value of design, it is missing an opportunity. Likewise, unless designers ''get" value creation, they won't find the partnerships that will scale their solutions. We are translating value propositions between two very different points of view.

How will Cape Town, and South Africa, benefit this year?

It is part of a much larger strategy that is being developed. It will have an impact on design education and grow the demand for goods and services from Cape Town designers. Participating offers the opportunity to market local talent to a wide audience.

What is the impact of the New York Times voting Cape Town one of the top destinations to visit in 2014?

For the four million people living in Cape Town this is an opportunity to tell stories, show excellence and communicate our optimism about the future.

Tell me about your favourite design project?

Since I was at UCT, I have wondered about that beautiful Athlone Power Station. In New York and Seattle I lived in loft spaces that had been built for other uses, then adapted for living. I think the Athlone Power Station has that iconic presence that could make it an important institution some time in the future - it sits at a fascinating confluence of disparate communities. Museum, public space, educational institution?

Alyne Reesberg's Highlights

For World Design Capital 2014 we've curated a full year of activities, showcasing local design competence and addressingproblems in transportation, housing, health, sanitation, design education, the environment and social cohesion. World Design Capital Cape Town 2014 has recognised 480 problems and we intend to create new conversations and forge new collaborations to address them.

The Guild exhibition starts tomorrow, bringing international attention to Cape Town through famous collectable art galleries. The international gallerists feel Cape Town is a fresh, new frontier and are delighted to be here.

Home-grown projects like: Future Tyger, a public conversation that engages with those who live, work, learn, play, use health facilities or own businesses in the Voortrekker Road Development Corridor, including the Bellville Central Area.

Common Methods: Craft in Production, a venture with a collaborative design and culture experience that establishes relationships between designers, locals, craftsmen, manufacturers and the public.

Learning Innovation Design Lab, an initiative that aims to take mobile technology into underprivileged areas.

iKhaya le Langa, a non-profit organisation that tackles unemployment through community regeneration and social enterprise.

Open Design Cape Town, a city-wide cross-disciplinary celebration and sharing of design and design thinking. These initiatives will invite public participation.

Events like WDC Food , a full year of food design events.

The Innovation Summit, which brings together thought leaders and practitioners in innovation to share their success stories.

The Design Policy Conference, in which government policy makers, design promoters, economists, industrialists, academics, educators and designers share their experience and knowledge in a two-day open forum.

Design House Exhibition: Transforming Cities, includes housed exhibitions that showcase design from around the world. There are also exhibitions, public lectures and other activations to place a spotlight on indigenous knowledge and local solutions.

• See www.wdccapetown2014. com for more information.