In 2026, Berlin marks the 20th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO City of Design—a significant milestone that offers an opportunity both to celebrate past achievements and to strategically shape the future of Berlin’s design ecosystem. Therefore, the City of Berlin commissioned a comprehensive analysis of Berlin’s design landscape to develop strategic recommendations for its continued growth.
A key element of this process was a design policy workshop led by Anna Whicher and Piotr Swiatek in December 2024, which brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from design, business, academia, and government. The workshop provided a platform to assess Berlin’s strengths, identify challenges, and explore opportunities for strategic development.
As part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Berlin is connected to 49 Cities of Design worldwide that leverage design as a driver of sustainable urban development, economic growth, and social innovation. Many of these cities have successfully developed dedicated strategies to integrate design into their urban and economic policies.
Berlin is internationally recognized as a creative powerhouse, with a unique blend of grassroots initiatives and world-class institutions. However, the workshop highlighted that many of these strengths also present challenges. The city’s diverse design community fosters cross-disciplinary innovation but also leads to fragmentation, making it difficult to align efforts and create a cohesive strategy.
Furthermore, while Berlin is a leader in design research, there is a lack of structured connections between academia, industry, and policy. In the public sector, pioneering initiatives like the Digital Service team demonstrate the potential of design-driven governance, yet broader integration of design into policymaking remains inconsistent. The workshop participants emphasized the need for stronger leadership, improved coordination, and a long-term vision for Berlin’s design sector.
One key recommendation from the workshop was to utilize Berlin’s UNESCO City of Design status more strategically. Several cities have successfully established dedicated UNESCO City of Design offices to coordinate initiatives and enhance international visibility. Establishing such an office in Berlin could serve as a central platform to connect stakeholders, structure design-driven initiatives, and position Berlin more effectively on the global stage.
In a collaborative visioning exercise, participants imagined the future of Berlin’s design ecosystem over different time horizons—two, five, ten, and fifteen years. Their collective vision positioned Berlin as a global leader in design-driven innovation, sustainability, and public sector transformation.
The workshop identified several immediate actions to drive tangible impact, including:
- Establishing a UNESCO City of Design Office to coordinate initiatives and enhance Berlin’s global visibility. – Organizing workshops to define Berlin’s unique design identity and align stakeholders around shared goals.
- Exploring the role of a Chief Design Officer to provide leadership and embed design in public decision-making.
- Conducting an in-depth study on the economic, social, and environmental impact of design in Berlin to inform policy decisions. –
- Mapping global design policies to identify best practices that could be adapted for Berlin.
Next Steps for Berlin’s Design Strategy
The insights from this process provide a strong foundation for a forward-looking design strategy for Berlin. However, long-term success will require ongoing collaboration, strategic investment, and strong leadership. By strengthening coordination, leveraging its UNESCO City of Design status, and integrating design more deeply into economic and policy frameworks, Berlin has the opportunity to solidify its position as a global center of design excellence.
The full findings are available in the report “Towards the Design Action Plan for Berlin.”
C O N T A C T
Alina Rathke
E: alina.rathke@senweb.berlin.de