In December 2019, Saint-Étienne, a Creative City of Design in France, presented the outcomes of national programme “Design Assembly” to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Culture.

“Design Assembly”, coordinated by the Cité of Design in Saint-Étienne, aimed at analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the French design ecosystem, in order to outline a national comprehensive strategy for French design.

On 11 December 2019, a group of design professionals presented their proposals, following the themes of the six working groups launched in April 2019:

• Valuing design;
• Integrating design into corporate strategies;
• Design and training;
• Design in public policies;
• Sustainability and engagement in the international design policy;
• Structuring the design ecosystem.

The participants identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development, as well as to foster attractiveness and international cooperation between cities through design.

In this light, the participants agreed on capitalizing on the experience of pioneering cities such as Saint-Etienne, UNESCO Creative City of Design; Lille, Word Design Capital 2020 and Nantes, cities which integrated design in their international policies.

A “Club of French Design Cities”, with the aim of sharing experiences and good practices on design, and a National Council of Design will be launched  in order to better integrate creativity into French policies and strategies, as well as and enhance the role of design for sustainable innovation at the international level.

For further information on Design Assembly 2019, please click here.