In a video conference on September 12, 2023, World Design Organization (WDO), headquartered in Montreal, Canada, announced that Frankfurt and the Rhein-Main region will receive the globally prestigious title of World Design Capital 2026.
With the theme Design for Democracy: Atmospheres for a better life, Frankfurt RheinMain was among the two finalists selected by the WDO’s international committee representing all continents and managed to prevail over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the video conference, WDO’s Managing Director, Bertrand Derome, thanked the application committee for the convincing and comprehensive application and congratulated Frankfurt RheinMain on winning the title of World Design Capital 2026. In particular, the theme of the application developed by Prof. Matthias Wagner K was praised, which will have a great impact not only regionally, but especially worldwide. The bid committee was also impressed by the successful and impressive preparatory work that had taken place over the course of the application in the form of numerous events, many contributors and a tour of the entire Rhine-Main region. The committee was also particularly impressed by the cooperation between the sectors culture, design, business and society, which conveyed a great sense of community in the Frankfurt RheinMain region.
For more than two years, the team of the project company headed by Prof. Matthias Wagner K, Director of the Museum Angewandte Kunst, has been working on the application on behalf of the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and has been making considerable progress. The period was used to start a joint movement with various cooperation partners and participatory formats as well as initiatives and supporters. The goal of the proposed program for 2026 is to create a sustainable, participatory international center for design, design disciplines and design methods for people from all over the world here in the RhineMain region. To develop a hub for all existing design initiatives, grassroots initiatives, universities with a design focus, NGOs, representatives from society, business, politics, law, technology, science and culture, as well as citizens on the basis of illustrative historical design upheavals, existing and new projected projects. In the spirit of Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life, the application defined twelve fields of action that are most pressing in shaping social interaction. They determine and structure the basic work as a platform provider for the development of the program for World Design Capital 2026: Construction, Consumption, Culture, Education, Energy, Health, Housing, Industry, Mobility, Public Space, Sport, and Work.
Design for Democracy: Atmospheres for a better life is therefore much more than a theme. It is a call and an invitation to address the most pressing issues and problems of our time together and to develop solutions together. Here, design can demonstrate its relevance by means of concrete topics and practical examples. Here, earlier design upheavals can be subjected to a critical review and used as a platform not only to reposition design, but also to make clear what a significant tool design can be for the transformation processes of societies.
Design FRM gGmbH at the Museum Angewandte Kunst
Schaumainkai 17, 60594 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Managing partners: Prof. Roland Lambrette, Prof. Matthias Wagner K
Press contact: Natali-Lina Pitzer / T +49 (0)69 212 75339
