SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATES $3M FOR WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2024 PROGRAM

The San Diego City Council voted 9-0 on Tuesday to secure $3 million in funding for the World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 program.

While the World Design Capital designation is for both cities as one connected community, San Diego is the first U.S. city to receive the designation. Tijuana is the second city in Mexico to hold the title, following Mexico City in 2018.

The San Diego-tijuana region — with more than 7 million residents and 121 million pedestrian border crossings a year — will host a yearlong program of events and activities that will bring the binational community together through design and art. In addition to putting the region on the world stage, it is also expected to boost tourism.

The money from the city, coming from the fiscal year 2024 budget, represents critical funding for the program. The funds will be used for program planning, production and marketing efforts.

“World Design Capital 2024 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our region,” City Councilmember Raul Campillo said. “San Diego and Tijuana mutually benefit from investments in our unique binational geography and character. I fought hard to ensure the World Design Capital had the support of my council colleagues because this project will not just bring jobs and investment to San Diego now, it will leave lasting impacts for years to come.”

After World Design Capital Valencia 2022, the most recent edition of the program, analyses showed that for every 1 euro of public administration funding that was spent on the program, 5.7 euros of income were generated for the Spanish region.

The World Design Capital 2024 committee, headed by CEO Carlos de la Mora, plans to highlight the region’s binational collaborations through lectures, art installations, exhibits, symposiums, design competitions, performances, design tours and more. The main areas of focus will be art, culture, sustainability, design, education, health, innovation, science and technology, and regional planning.

Partners in the effort include the UC San Diego Design Lab, the Design Forward Alliance, the Burnham Center for Community Advancement, and the cities of San Diego and Tijuana.