Cape Town, Oct 27 (IANS): The scenic South African city of Cape Town has been named the "World Design Capital" for the year 2014 for using creative designs in its urban development plans.

It became the first African city to win the award, beating Ireland's Dublin and Spain's Bilbao, Xinhua reported citing local news outlet News24.

The announcement was made Wednesday at the International Design Alliance Congress in Taipei.

The World Design Capital 2014 title will result in a year-long programme of design-focused events that will see design used for social, economic and cultural transformation, a statement said.

Cape Town executive mayor Patricia de Lille accepted the award on behalf of Cape Town and the African continent. The year 2014 will mark 20 years of democracy in the country.

"The World Design Capital bid process and title have helped to bring different initiatives together and have made us realise that design in all its forms, when added together, creates human and city development," De Lille said.

"A city belongs to its people and it must be designed for and with them and their communities. For many years, people have been applying innovative solutions to our challenges. They have been using design to transform various aspects of life. But they have often been working without an overarching social goal in mind," she said.

"We look forward to learning from other cities that are using design as a tool for transformation, including past winners Torino, Seoul and Helsinki and our fellow short-listed cities, Dublin and Bilbao. We are honored to have been considered with them."