At the beginning of 2026, the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region will hold a title of international significance: it is the first region in Germany to be named World Design Capital (WDC) by the World Design Organisation (WDO). Under the motto "Let's shape Frankfurt Rhine-Main together", the programme year is not intended to be a series of events, but rather an invitation to explore the role that design can play in a democratic, liveable and economically viable future.
In doing so, design deliberately moves beyond the sphere of the purely aesthetic. What is meant is design as a social tool – as a means of improving living spaces, enabling participation and actively steering transformation processes. For one year, Frankfurt Rhine-Main will thus become a workshop for testing how collaborative design can change political, social and economic processes.
World Design Capital 2026 is supported by a broad alliance of civil society, local authorities, universities, cultural and economic institutions. Up to 2,000 events from around 450 projects will shape the programme year. It ranges from large WDC formats to local initiatives and collaborations across city and district boundaries. The region will be represented in its entire spatial breadth: from Darmstadt to Wiesbaden, Offenbach, Hanau and numerous districts to Frankfurt am Main.
In terms of content, the programme is divided into five thematic focal points, which are spread throughout the year and form a clear dramaturgy: communally designed living spaces, new learning and research formats, sustainable cycles of design, craftsmanship and industry, sensory approaches to design, and the dialogue between design, politics and society. Exhibitions, conferences, workshops and concrete urban projects invite citizens as well as institutions and companies to participate.
"The fact that so many people and organisations have contributed their own ideas in such a short time shows the design potential of this region," says Carolina Romahn, Managing Director of World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhine-Main 2026. Design is less a discipline than an attitude – one that should remain effective beyond the year in everyday life, in educational institutions, companies, administrations and neighbourhoods.
The award is the result of a long process. The application originated in an initiative by the Werkbundakademie Darmstadt, which has been bringing together stakeholders from various fields since 2014. Design FRM gGmbH is responsible for implementing the project as a contractual partner of the WDO. The concept of design underlying WDC 2026 is correspondingly broad. It focuses on issues of sustainable urban development, new forms of living and working, future-proof mobility, contemporary education and comprehensible and accessible administration. Design is understood here as a means of combining ecological responsibility, economic transformation and democratic coexistence. The World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhine-Main 2026 is jointly financed by the state of Hesse, the city of Frankfurt am Main and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Cultural Fund, as well as by cities and municipalities in the region. The public budget amounts to around 14.3 million euros, supplemented by approximately 1.7 million euros from co-financing, contributions in kind and donations. Shared financing is part of the programme: it is intended to illustrate that sustainable impact can only be achieved across institutional and sectoral boundaries.
Beyond the event year, WDC 2026 aims to have a lasting impact. This so-called "legacy" rests on three pillars: proven practice in projects that improve democratic processes; lasting structures such as new roles, institutions and locations; and measurable results through studies and evaluations. The plan is to anchor design more firmly in administration and politics – for example, through a Design Action Plan 2030 – and to strengthen creative competence from the bottom up, including through a regional design hub, educational formats and open workshops. The title World Design Capital is awarded every two years by the World Design Organisation. Frankfurt Rhine-Main received it for its application "Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life". The jury particularly praised the close cooperation between 31 cities and counties that see design as a tool for participation and innovation. Alongside cities such as Helsinki, Seoul, Mexico City and Valencia, the region is thus positioning itself as an internationally visible location for social experimentation. Whether this experiment will have an impact beyond 2026 remains to be seen. In any case, the goal has been set: to understand design not as decoration, but as a democratic practice. BR
