
The Campo Gallery in Rome is housed in a former mill. Courtesy Delfino Sisto Legnani
For our annual cities listings, Metropolis took a novel approach to avoid the typical ranking: We surveyed 80 leading architecture and design professionals, asking them to nominate places in three categories—design powerhouses, buzzing cultural hubs, and cities that inspire or personally resonate with them. The results turned up the usual suspects as well as some unexpected newcomers, and our coverage is similarly heterogeneous, from profiles of local firms to spotlights on grassroots initiatives and sum-ups of cities’ design goings-on.
Listed below are our 2018 Inspirational Design Cities.
Rounding off our annual design cities coverage, we present 10 cities that inspire, or personally resonate with, the designers and professionals we surveyed. Our 2018 “inspirational” cities display an interesting combination of powerhouse prowess and buzzy localism, all set against centuries-old—in some cases millennia-old—cityscapes.
The cities are diverse and non-pretentious, and the list is remarkably heterogeneous, traversing small municipalities (Savannah has less than 200,000 residents) to megalopolises (Beijing and Istanbul are both among the world’s largest). Interestingly, they are evenly distributed across the U.S., Asia, and Europe. But across all of them, a distinctive urban character and social atmosphere have given these cities a unique, instantly recognizable form with an esteemed set of neighborhoods, museums, events, and histories.
Yet as in our powerhouses and buzzing cities, an influx of international tourism and capital is reshaping these metropolitan areas, sometimes in a way that conflicts with how longtime inhabitants use and perceive urban space. Negotiating global tourism culture and harmonizing new development with preservation and conservation are significant challenges facing local policymakers, planners, designers, and residents. Beijing’s controversial urban renewal efforts (which resulted in the recent destruction of Ai Weiwei’s studio), San Francisco’s shocking unaffordability, and Rome’s overrun center are examples of these growing pains.
But beyond the aesthetic charms of the cities, our coverage shows that their appeal and design prolificacy are really attributable to their vibrant, multicultural social structures. In Rotterdam, Istanbul, and Rome, young designers are taking advantage of their unique urban environments to advance contemporary conversations surrounding timely issues, and the free-spirited attitudes of New Orleans and Barcelona continue to provide a breeding ground for fearless architecture and design initiatives. It also shows that design is often a site of political conflict, where out-there exhibitions and events flourish in otherwise conservative regions, whether in the American South, Turkey, or China.
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Rome
Despite an ongoing exodus of creative talent to Milan, a group of Rome’s curators and designers are applying a critical lens to the city’s contemporary architecture. Campo, a gallery housed within a former mill, was established by four architects to examine—and influence—the direction of Roman design, staging exhibitions including Troppo freddo per te qui exhibition (pictured). Meanwhile, design curator Pippo Ciorra has brought an ambitious new program to MAXXI, the national museum for contemporary art and architecture. Since April, the institution has hosted a major show titled Zevi’s Architects: History and Counter-History of Italian Architecture 1944–2000, which uses the legacy of critic and historian Bruno Zevi as a starting point. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Delfino Sisto Legnani
Rome
Despite an ongoing exodus of creative talent to Milan, a group of Rome’s curators and designers are applying a critical lens to the city’s contemporary architecture. Campo, a gallery housed within a former mill, was established by four architects to examine—and influence—the direction of Roman design, staging exhibitions including Troppo freddo per te qui exhibition (pictured). Meanwhile, design curator Pippo Ciorra has brought an ambitious new program to MAXXI, the national museum for contemporary art and architecture. Since April, the institution has hosted a major show titled Zevi’s Architects: History and Counter-History of Italian Architecture 1944–2000, which uses the legacy of critic and historian Bruno Zevi as a starting point. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Delfino Sisto Legnani
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Barcelona
In spite of worryingly high numbers of visitors, which led the mayor to introduce controversial “anti-tourism” policies, the home of Dalí and Gaudí still manages to find room for creativity. In the previously industrial Poblenou district, an eclectic mix of studios, galleries, and design schools (including the Bau School of Design and the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) is doing some of the most interesting cross-disciplinary work along the Mediterranean. On the edge of trendy Eixample, the Urban Canopy development aims to transform a decommissioned elevated roadway into over 35 acres of green space for the park-starved city. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Poblenou Urban District
Barcelona
In spite of worryingly high numbers of visitors, which led the mayor to introduce controversial “anti-tourism” policies, the home of Dalí and Gaudí still manages to find room for creativity. In the previously industrial Poblenou district, an eclectic mix of studios, galleries, and design schools (including the Bau School of Design and the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) is doing some of the most interesting cross-disciplinary work along the Mediterranean. On the edge of trendy Eixample, the Urban Canopy development aims to transform a decommissioned elevated roadway into over 35 acres of green space for the park-starved city. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Poblenou Urban District
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Mumbai
"There is a certain ease of making in Mumbai," says Anne Geenen, a cofounder of Case Design. The small firm has recently completed its first major project,
a girls boarding schoolin Pune, southeast of Mumbai. The architects took advantage of the region's crafts heritage, working very closely with builders and artisans.
Courtesy Ariel Huber
Mumbai
"There is a certain ease of making in Mumbai," says Anne Geenen, a cofounder of Case Design. The small firm has recently completed its first major project,
a girls boarding schoolin Pune, southeast of Mumbai. The architects took advantage of the region's crafts heritage, working very closely with builders and artisans.
Courtesy Ariel Huber
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Beijing
While China’s cultural and political capital city is millennia old, independent design studios are relatively new. Without a blueprint for modern Chinese design, Beijing Design Week’s creative director, Beatrice Leanza, says the city’s emerging practitioners are forging innovative typologies, including repurposing vestiges of the city that were once considered obsolete. Among the most prominent of these are the city’s hutongs, traditional alleyways flanked by courtyards, which have become laboratories for Beijing’s creative class and rising international stars like Zhang Ke (his Cha’er Hutong project is pictured). The Dashilar Pilot, part of wider renewal efforts at Dashilar Hutong, has connected designers, local artisans, and residents to help raise living standards and preserve the area’s cultural heritage. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Zao/Standardarchitecture, Wang Zilung
Beijing
While China’s cultural and political capital city is millennia old, independent design studios are relatively new. Without a blueprint for modern Chinese design, Beijing Design Week’s creative director, Beatrice Leanza, says the city’s emerging practitioners are forging innovative typologies, including repurposing vestiges of the city that were once considered obsolete. Among the most prominent of these are the city’s hutongs, traditional alleyways flanked by courtyards, which have become laboratories for Beijing’s creative class and rising international stars like Zhang Ke (his Cha’er Hutong project is pictured). The Dashilar Pilot, part of wider renewal efforts at Dashilar Hutong, has connected designers, local artisans, and residents to help raise living standards and preserve the area’s cultural heritage. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Zao/Standardarchitecture, Wang Zilung
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Istanbul
Istanbul is the only city in the world to literally straddle two continents, merging Western and Eastern traditions and design sensibilities. Europe’s largest city has seen some political turbulence of late, but Istanbul Design Biennial director Deniz Ova believes this has brought a new wave of socially engaged and environmentally aware design initiatives to the metropolis. The fourth edition of the biennial is curated this fall by
Jan Boelen of Design Academy Eindhoven and will look at topics such as the influence of the Bauhaus on Istanbul design. The event will take place across six venues in the city’s lush cultural district Beyoğlu, which includes
Studio-X Istanbul (affiliated with Columbia GSAPP) and the Pera Museum. —
Rebecca Greenwald Courtesy Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
Istanbul
Istanbul is the only city in the world to literally straddle two continents, merging Western and Eastern traditions and design sensibilities. Europe’s largest city has seen some political turbulence of late, but Istanbul Design Biennial director Deniz Ova believes this has brought a new wave of socially engaged and environmentally aware design initiatives to the metropolis. The fourth edition of the biennial is curated this fall by
Jan Boelen of Design Academy Eindhoven and will look at topics such as the influence of the Bauhaus on Istanbul design. The event will take place across six venues in the city’s lush cultural district Beyoğlu, which includes
Studio-X Istanbul (affiliated with Columbia GSAPP) and the Pera Museum. —
Rebecca Greenwald Courtesy Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
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Kyoto
Kyoto is often held up as a warning sign about the ravages of tourism. The problem has even been given a name in Japanese media—kankō kōgai, or “tourism pollution.” It has undeniably altered the city fabric and infrastructure. D-Lab, a local research initiative, is mapping the flows of people moving throughout Kyoto, namely through its largest food markets. It's a way to gauge the qualitative aspects of change.
Courtesy Kyoto Design Lab, Kyoto Institute of Technology/Photo: Tomomi Takano
Kyoto
Kyoto is often held up as a warning sign about the ravages of tourism. The problem has even been given a name in Japanese media—kankō kōgai, or “tourism pollution.” It has undeniably altered the city fabric and infrastructure. D-Lab, a local research initiative, is mapping the flows of people moving throughout Kyoto, namely through its largest food markets. It's a way to gauge the qualitative aspects of change.
Courtesy Kyoto Design Lab, Kyoto Institute of Technology/Photo: Tomomi Takano
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New Orleans
More than a decade after Hurricane Katrina, a coterie of newcomers and locals has made NOLA one of the most energetic design communities in America and sparked a commitment to smartly rebuild the city. Architecturally, New Orleans has seen a recent emphasis on adaptive reuse of the city’s historic buildings, including two recent projects from local powerhouse practice Eskew+Dumez+Ripple: the Shop (pictured), a 400-seat coworking space above the Contemporary Arts Center in the city’s Warehouse District, and the new 234-room boutique Ace hotel in a nine-story Art Deco building that once housed a large furniture store. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
New Orleans
More than a decade after Hurricane Katrina, a coterie of newcomers and locals has made NOLA one of the most energetic design communities in America and sparked a commitment to smartly rebuild the city. Architecturally, New Orleans has seen a recent emphasis on adaptive reuse of the city’s historic buildings, including two recent projects from local powerhouse practice Eskew+Dumez+Ripple: the Shop (pictured), a 400-seat coworking space above the Contemporary Arts Center in the city’s Warehouse District, and the new 234-room boutique Ace hotel in a nine-story Art Deco building that once housed a large furniture store. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
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Rotterdam
The design movement in Rotterdam, Amsterdam’s airier and more understated cousin, is slowly gaining steam. Lower living costs have engendered a design scene free from the commercial constraints of the capital city— and with more room for experimentation, as represented in locally based MVRDV’s 100,000-square-meter psychedelic mixed-use Markthal, which opened in 2014. Many of the city’s younger architecture, design, and fabrication practitioners—including Studio Wieki Somers (pictured),
OMA model maker Vincent de Rijk, and Studio Makkink & Bey—are congregating in Merwe-Vierhavens (M4H), a formerly industrial waterfront area that’s increasingly home to artists, designers, and start-ups. —
Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Studio Wieki Somers
Rotterdam
The design movement in Rotterdam, Amsterdam’s airier and more understated cousin, is slowly gaining steam. Lower living costs have engendered a design scene free from the commercial constraints of the capital city— and with more room for experimentation, as represented in locally based MVRDV’s 100,000-square-meter psychedelic mixed-use Markthal, which opened in 2014. Many of the city’s younger architecture, design, and fabrication practitioners—including Studio Wieki Somers (pictured),
OMA model maker Vincent de Rijk, and Studio Makkink & Bey—are congregating in Merwe-Vierhavens (M4H), a formerly industrial waterfront area that’s increasingly home to artists, designers, and start-ups. —
Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy Studio Wieki Somers
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Savannah
According to Savannah College of Art and Design alum Jonathan Stalcup, who runs the Instagram account ArchitecturalSavannah, the city is one of the few featuring nearly every architectural style in American history. Nearly 300 years on from Georgia founder James Oglethorpe’s plan, every recent project seems to be in dialogue with the city’s original layout, including the Moshe Safdie–designed Jepson Center for the Arts (which opened in 2006) and Eastern Wharf, a $600 million, 57-acre mixed-use waterfront development, whose design will stylistically reference the urban plan’s town-square model. A plethora of boutique hotel projects is bolstering the city’s Southern hospitality—including Greenline Architecture’s Brice Hotel (pictured), the new Perry Lane Hotel, and the planned debut of a
West Elm hotel (part of a spate of establishments opening in six midsize U.S. cities). —
Rebecca Greenwald
Savannah
According to Savannah College of Art and Design alum Jonathan Stalcup, who runs the Instagram account ArchitecturalSavannah, the city is one of the few featuring nearly every architectural style in American history. Nearly 300 years on from Georgia founder James Oglethorpe’s plan, every recent project seems to be in dialogue with the city’s original layout, including the Moshe Safdie–designed Jepson Center for the Arts (which opened in 2006) and Eastern Wharf, a $600 million, 57-acre mixed-use waterfront development, whose design will stylistically reference the urban plan’s town-square model. A plethora of boutique hotel projects is bolstering the city’s Southern hospitality—including Greenline Architecture’s Brice Hotel (pictured), the new Perry Lane Hotel, and the planned debut of a
West Elm hotel (part of a spate of establishments opening in six midsize U.S. cities). —
Rebecca Greenwald
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San Francisco
Notwithstanding the flash of major developments such as the new Salesforce Tower—the second-tallest building west of the Mississippi—and its adjacent 5.4-acre park, the most inspiring activity in the city today may be analog: Two projects completing construction this year, 100 and 150 Hooper in the expanding Design District, are augmenting the city’s maker scene by creating over 120,000 square feet of small-scale manufacturing space. Over in Dogpatch, Olle Lundberg, who is famous for installing an entire log cabin in Twitter’s Market Street offices, set up a metal and woodworking facility beneath his design studio in a former 1930s mattress factory. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy flickr user Dale Cruse
San Francisco
Notwithstanding the flash of major developments such as the new Salesforce Tower—the second-tallest building west of the Mississippi—and its adjacent 5.4-acre park, the most inspiring activity in the city today may be analog: Two projects completing construction this year, 100 and 150 Hooper in the expanding Design District, are augmenting the city’s maker scene by creating over 120,000 square feet of small-scale manufacturing space. Over in Dogpatch, Olle Lundberg, who is famous for installing an entire log cabin in Twitter’s Market Street offices, set up a metal and woodworking facility beneath his design studio in a former 1930s mattress factory. —Rebecca Greenwald
Courtesy flickr user Dale Cruse
You might also like, “Metropolis Magazine’s 10 Powerhouse Design Cities of 2018.”