The UNESCO Creative Cities of Design, which unites 40 cities worldwide, organized an open virtual debate under the theme ‘The power of design in response to the global crisis and rebooting the world’ on July 14, 2020.

Broadcasted from the city of Kaunas (Lithuania), a Creative City of Design and the European Capital of Culture for 2022, the discussion revolved around the current COVID-19 challenges faced by cities and the emergency design practices being implemented in this regard. The discussions were further supported with experiences and inspiring case studies from Design Cities around the world.

The international panel discussion also focused on how innovative design solutions have been used to support communities to adapt, stay safe and keep connected during these unprecedented times.

Cape Town (South Africa), Curitiba (Brazil), Dundee (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Geelong (Australia), Helsinki (Finland), Kaunas (Lithuania), Kortrijk (Belgium), Montreal (Canada), Saint-Etienne (France), Singapore (Singapore) and Wuhan (People’s Republic of China) presented their inventive projects during the panel session.

The event has attracted more than 1,700 viewers and is available on YouTube.