“Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life” was the rallying cry that scooped the title of World Design Capital 2026 (WDC 2026) for the Frankfurt RheinMain region. FRM, as it is known, takes over the winner’s mantle from 2024’s binational destinations of San Diego and Tijuana. But how can an initiative receiving EUR 15 million in public funding bring about long-term societal change? Program director Barbara Lersch views the win as a major opportunity: “Our aim is not only to talk about democracy, but to bring it to life.” Using the tools of design to strengthen our coexistence may seem like an unusual idea at first glance. But Lersch clarifies: “Today, design is no longer limited to creating attractive products. It’s about rethinking whole systems.” And about bringing people together. Design starts with our everyday lives.
From bottom to top: the power of small ideas
In the Frankfurt RheinMain region, this extended definition of design is helping to rethink spaces and processes. It places the people living there at front and center, with the hope that they will get involved, connect, learn from one another, and generate greater impact together. The WDC 2026 focuses on dialog and interaction. The 20-strong team takes the role of a platform, concentrating and amplifying grass-roots ideas. An open call inviting people to submit initial ideas and projects received an overwhelming response when over 1000 suggestions poured in, from neighborhood initiatives to concepts for public spaces. “I was particularly enthusiastic about the smaller-scale ideas. It’s so heartening to see how many organizations in civil society and how many local groups we managed to reach,” says Lersch. Good ideas are a great start. “All people need is some funding. They’re ready to leap into action.” Against that backdrop, the role of WDC 2026 is to support, to amplify. Its tasks involve not only highlighting the best ideas, but also making their voices heard further down the line. Lersch notes, “Critics are often strident, so the people playing an active role in shaping our society need support.” She seeks to amplify the voice of the quiet majority—the people who do great things on a small scale. “This organization is held together by the players networking with each other.” The great hope is to initiate a new culture of interaction over the long term. “Everything that’s needed is already there. We just need to raise the profile of a few aspects.
But we can only build an initial structure, a framework, like building a house,” says culture manager Lersch. But while that framework has to be dismantled at some time, “the house itself, all those networks and initiatives, remain in place.” This is the strength of the initiative, which reaches out to town and country equally. Collaboration that goes beyond the day-to-day.
The WDC 2026 program encompasses well over 400 events, from workshops and exhibitions to a large-scale street festival traveling around the region. The program aims at providing in-depth content. Two conferences will take a deep dive into the connection between design and democracy, sidelining political theory and showcasing concrete proposals for mindsets that will ready our habitats and our democracy for the challenges of the future.
Invitation to all
“Designing Democracy is here at the right time,” stresses Lersch. WDC 2026 is building bridges in an era of growing polarization. “Our aim is to open up spaces for encounter and participation.” The World Design Capital 2026 is thus greater than the sum of its events: It is an invitation to join together in shaping neighborhoods, cities, communities. The WDC 2026 and its concept of “Atmospheres for a better life” are in tune with a great societal need, as the overwhelming response to the first open call demonstrated: There is no lack of ideas or commitment in the region. If WDC 2026 can succeed in focusing and intensifying this energy, 2026 may indeed be the year where a mere temporary cultural festival is only the start. It could become a living laboratory for the democracy of tomorrow, with results that resonate long after the design year is over. It’s absolutely true that the future belongs to those who shape it. Time to get shaping.
The article on WDC also appears in mcbw magazine 2025