Since issuing the “Design City Declaration” in 1989, Nagoya City has promoted city development focusing on “design”.
Since the “Design City Declaration” in 1989, we have worked to organize three major international design conferences, the World Design Exposition and establish the International Design Center NAGOYA, to develop and spread an awareness of design among residents and companies, and to cultivate young designers. During these activities, we cooperated with local industries, design organizations and educational institutions. Nagoya City, together with the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the International Design Center Nagoya, prepared and applied to UNESCO in March 2007 for the membership in the design category. Finally, in October 2008, Nagoya City was appointed as an UNESCO City of Design.
*1: Nagoya is the first city to have hosted three major international design conferences, of ICSID, IFI, and Icograda.
*2: IdcN (International Design Center Nagoya Inc.) http://www.idcn.jp/
In April 1992, International Design Center NAGOYA (IdcN) was established with investment from the City of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and private sector corporations. IdcN opened in November 1996. IdcN widely endorses the world of design through venues like creators shop Loop, which supports the work of young creators; the Collection Gallery, where we display artifacts in our American Art Deco Collection and the Design Gallery, which we offer as an announcement venue for our own projects as well as those of designers and other creators. Equipped with a multi-purpose hall and seminar rooms, IdcN serves as a comprehensive support base for design and leverages an international network to develop a wide variety of enterprises.
Whereas we the citizens of Nagoya, desiring the creation of a peaceful and humanistic way of life and city, and The City of Nagoya, desiring the continuation of world peace, appeal to the peoples of the world, on the occasion of the World Design Exposition, to further promote creative urban living environments based on the concepts of design for modern humanity employing the wisdom and techniques accumulated by humankind throughout its history, and whereas design transcends mere ornamentation and decoration to form a fundamental element of culture and lifestyle such that its accumulative importance is considered self-evident, and whereas cities provide the stage upon which the dramas of ordinary lives are played out, the creation of such replete with humane characteristics and attractiveness where each and every citizen is considered paramount requires the establishment of a cultural temperament that places enhanced emphasis and importance of design, and whereas, on the occasion of the World Design Exposition, the City of Nagoya is striving to become an international locus of design information open to the world and create a city valuing design which can proudly be presented to the world, the City of Nagoya does hereby declare its desire and intention to create a Design City of sensitivity striving for world peace.
June 30th1989
The Nagoya City Assembly
