Ideas, perspectives and conversations shaping the future of design.
The Detroit City of Design Talk series returns for the 2026 festival with a series of panels, symposiums and conversations bringing together designers, artists, educators, industry leaders and creative thinkers from Detroit and beyond.
Throughout September, the series will explore the ideas, challenges and opportunities influencing design today, from the future of our cities and creative industries to new approaches to making, collaboration and innovation.
Ideas, perspectives and conversations shaping the future of design.
Industrial Heritage to Industrial Design: Learning from ManufacturingSun, Sep 06SpaceLab Detroit
City of Design Talk: At the StationFri, Sep 11The Study @ Michigan Central
Black Culture Across BordersSun, Sep 13Scarab Club
Adaptive Detroit: Design Forum on Reuse + RenovationSun, Sep 20Vander Detroit
Design Moves the Future: Festival Closing SymposiumSat, Sep 26Main | Detroit Public Library
Detroit/Toronto: A Tale of Two Design CitiesSat, Sep 26Prentis Building Auditorium
UNESCO Creative Cities: Helping communities thrive by sharing knowledge, protecting heritage & backing innovation.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote international cooperation between cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
The 350+ cities around the world that make up this network all place creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their urban development plans and share a commitment to collaborating internationally in support of a more sustainable future for all.
Detroit City of Design
As the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States, the festival serves as a platform for creative collaboration, celebrating Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital.
This year’s theme, "City of Design," celebrates the 10th anniversary of Detroit’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design. It highlights how cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network use design to help build a more sustainable future. Events showcase how Detroit designers are addressing these global challenges locally.
As the stewards of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation, Design Core uses the festival as an opportunity to amplify the work of Detroit designers with our UNESCO Partners, increasing the global visibility and value of Detroit’s creative output.
17 Goals to transform our world
The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.
They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.