One of the most exciting projects our city has committed to is our bid and achievement as one of the 3 chosen finalists for the World Design Capital 2014. WDC2014 is a prestigious status by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) to cities dedicated to using design for social, cultural and economic development. This bi-annual title gives the winning city an opportunity to showcase its achievements and aspirations through a 12 month programme of design-driven events and activities.
A very important component of this bid, as project managed by Cape Town Partnership through its Creative Cape Town programme, is the development of The Fringe: Cape Town’s Innovation District is the design and informatics hub planned for the area bordered by Roeland and Darling Streets, Buitenkant and Canterbury Streets, and the area also includes a strip of land that connects it to CPUT from Longmarket through to Tennant Street.
The Fringe is modeled on an urban “science park” which refers to an organisation managed by specialised professionals for community prosperity, promoting innovation and competitive integration of education and commerce. Well known science parks are based in and called: 22@Barcelona, Toronto Fashion Incubator and Design London.
Besides building area these parks offer a number of shared resources such as uninterruptible power supply, reception, telecommunications hubs, security, restaurants, management offices, banks, parking, entertainment/sports facilities, etc. In this way, the park offers considerable advantages to hosted companies, by reducing overhead costs with these facilities.
Science and technology parks are encouraged by local government as it attract new companies to towns, expand their tax base as well as creating employment opportunities to citizens. The vision has been to create “the premier African environment for design, media and ICT innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship” and the project is heavily supported by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism through its Cape Catalyst Initiative.
Please support Cape Town’s bid to be the World Design Capital 2014. Go to www.capetown2014.co.za