Taipei has been named the 2016 World Design Capital. The agreement was signed by Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and International Council of Societies of Industrial Design President Dr. Brandon Gien in Taipei on Friday. Taipei is following in the steps of Turin, Seoul, Helsinki, and Cape Town with this prestigious title.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin spoke on Friday about the city’s plans:
"Taipei was built over 130 years ago," said Hau. "We have a rich culture and history. But what’s more important at this time is that we use innovation and design – not just for city management – but also to get the participation of our citizens to make design become a mark of the city of Taipei."
Mayor Hau said there were 16 plans to transform the city to enable design to become integrated throughout all facets of Taipei.
The color purple is the base for the logo for Taipei World Design Capital. It symbolizes nobility, passion and vitality. Vice President Wu Den-yi said Taiwan has visa-free status to 135 countries. The number of annual visits to Taiwan is already over 8 million, and he expects that figure to be over 10 million by 2016.