"The Power of Design" is the title of Karl Stocker's new book on the different efforts in eleven Cities around the globe towards a comprehensive meaning of design. All cities have in common that design plays a vital role in urban life and development. Although sometimes design in a traditional sense can not be easily found, the fact that a preoccupation with it towards a more self-evident use in politics, economy and culture is shown through the citie's commitement in UNESCO's Creative Cities network.
As different as they are, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Graz, Kobe, Montreal, Nagoya, Saint-Etienne, Seoul, Shanghai and Shenzhen have something in common: they have all been distinguished by UNESCO with title “City of Design”. “The Power of Design” can be seen as a compact introduction to the current eleven UNESCO Cities of Design. The varied approaches of the individual cities in their use of design as an engine for current and future development are described in detail through concrete examples. Interviews with designers, activists, organizers and critical observers, which the author completed during his travels to all of the cities, give this publication a special quality. “The Power of Design” shows how differently and diversely the term “design” is interpreted and used across the continents. The result is a highly varied and richly illustrated book which combines so-called hard facts with personal impressions and subjective points of view.