world design capital

For the past four years, Cape Town collective Shift has been working closely with communities to inspire sustainable design, working towards universal social, environmental and economic well-being.

Preconceptions were blown out the water when a group of reporters landed in Johannesburg on their first visit to South Africa. The city – and indeed the country – was not what they had expected. And in turn, they intend on informing their readers back home about their positive experiences.

Get out your car and on your bike, skateboard or feet. Cape Town's new Open Streets movement takes an old idea from Bogotá, Colombia, and turns city thoroughfares over to residents, who use the space for breaking down social barriers – and having a lot of fun.

Cape Town is the first city in Africa and the first in a developing country to win the title of World Design Capital. A great accolade, but what does this mean in practice? The Mother City says it is hoping to use design as a tool to get to grips with the legacies of its apartheid past and poor urban planning.