And now for the World Cup legacy

All the naysayers and doom mongers have been proved wrong and the streets have been rolled up and put away. The World Cup was a great success!
But how does South Africa go back to normal ... what is normal? ... does South Africa want that? And, importantly, how does the country build on the unmistakeable momentum, and preserve the memories and promote the legacy of the day the Greatest Show On Earth came to South Africa.

As soon as the last vuvuzela fell silent, all eyes quickly turned to the legacy. One project already on the runway is Designing South Africa, which is being co-ordinated by Zahira Asmal, international diva and celebrated project manager of all things cultural and design-driven.

Before the first ball was kicked Zahira started asking the question, What will the World Cup legacy be? Her latest project, Designing South Africa, is a comprehensive mission to address that question and showcase the answers.

The project’s aim is to document South Africa’s urban and design development for the World Cup (and beyond), highlighting the impact on society, communities, culture, the economy and the environment.
Zahira’s goal is to develop a framework for the project, and facilitate its various executions – in articles, as a book and a traveling exhibition, in broadcast media and on the web.

In developing the Designing South Africa project she has met with architects, designers, and academics as well as government and city agents across South Africa.
The project will be a unique, independent record of the impact of the 2010 World Cup event, covering architecture, design, greening, infrastructure, transport, image and identity.

The project is a collaborative effort, with the accumulation of knowledge being guided by a panel of world-class experts and contributors.

Articles written for the project and essays by respected industry specialists will be featured in the world’s leading design publications, including Wallpaper (UK), Abitare (Italy) and Agitprop (Brazil), to name but three of many. The study will reach five continents and be translated into nine languages.

The project aims to be a bridge. Together with its print, digital and web-based resources, Designing South Africa will shift the focus to Brazil 2014 through significant design collaborations.

Plans have already been made for the travelling exhibition to visit Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and São Paolo.

For more info
www.designingsouthafrica.com