CapeTown was recently named World Design Capital 2014, based on a bid that highlighted the power of design to reinvent, heal, and transform a city, by creating systems, solutions, and environments that positively impact on the lives of the people in the city.

Cape Town is, on an official as well as entrepreneurial level, incorporating design into its urban and social planning, and two forthcoming events in particular explore this relationship and the important role of design in its future.

Often design is thought to be about things – and indeed the Design Indaba Expo showcases the incredible talent that Cape Town and South Africa produces - but design-minded thinking that changes the way we live is best explored at the Design Indaba Conference. It’s an internationally-recognized platform that brings global blue-sky thinkers together for stimulation, exchange, and the re-imagining of our world, seeding change and reinvention as a result.

Similarly, Infecting the City, the Africa Centre’s fifth annual public art festival, takes to the streets and public spaces of Cape Town’s Central Business District in March. The program will see 32 works that include installations, dance, poetry, theatre, performance art, and music, and asks important questions of how we use our public spaces, what they stand for, and whether they make our lives any better.

Both the Design Indaba and Infecting the City events rely on the cross-pollination of local and international participants who add, and also take away and share, knowledge and information, broadening Cape Town’s presence in the knowledge and innovation sphere. Both events are also designed to broaden minds, unlock communal spaces, and inspire residents to rediscover and celebrate the city.

Skye Grove, Communications Manager for Cape Town Tourism, said: “Cape Town Tourism firmly believes that a great city to visit must first be a great place to live. Events such as these not only re-imagine urban living, but in many ways, both events explore our common global challenges. They bring vital energy to our role as World Design Capital 2014 and excitement to the city that our visitors can share in.”

The Design Indaba Conference and Expo takes place at the CTICC from February 29–March 4, 2012. Visit www.designindaba.com for more information.

Infecting the City takes place on the streets of Cape Town’s CBD between March 6-10, 2012.