Izmir collaborated with the World Design Organization to host the international “World Design Talks” organization.

The World Design Talks, organized in Istanbul and Shanghai in 2016 and in Toluca and Rabat in 2017, were in Izmir this year with the theme of “Co-Living”. The event in Izmir is a part of an organization that approaches local problems such as rapid urbanization, climate change and immigration with a global point of view and offers workshops, and Indian, French, American, Canadian, Australian and African representatives of the World Design Organization as well as academics, designers, authorized members of the professional design institutions attended to this event. 

The event, which also celebrated the World Industrial Design Day, started with the opening speech of Dr. Buğra Gökçe, the General Secretary of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and he explained the process that started in 2009.

Luisa Bocchietto, the President of World Design Organization, stated that the World Design Talks include workshops that approach local problems such as rapid urbanization, climate change and immigration with a global point of view and added: “Knowledge obtained through these workshops aims to promote more sustainable consumption and production and to form global design agenda in line with United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We discuss the aspects of design on human life. We cooperate with professionals, academics, businesspersons, governments and non-governmental organizations working in this segment. The issues discussed and reviewed by this organization are combined with contents coming from different regions all around the world and help us to decide on right actions for the future”. Dr. Elif Kocabıyık, the President at Izmir Branch of the Industrial Designers Society of Turkey and Lecturer at Izmir Ekonomi University, Department of Industrial Design, delivered a speech and then the event continued with the following presentations; “Co-living culture in Izmir” by Assoc. Prof. Dr Serhan Ada, “Design for Festivity: African Perspective” by Prof. Mugendi M’Rithaa, “Right to Settlement and Share the Life: Co-Living” by Prof. Dr. Nilgün Toker Kılınç. The event continued with workshops and ended by celebrating “World Industrial Design Day”.