The UNESCO "City of Design" is one of the seven creative fields within the Creative Cities Network. Currently, there are 49 member cities cities of design, spanning 35 countries globally. It is an honorary title awarded by UNESCO to cities that have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the field of design, recognizing their focus on the development of the creative economy, with creative design industries as the core, driving sustainable urban development through innovation and design. At present, China has 18 Creative Cities, among which there are 5 "Cities of Design": Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Chongqing.

In 2009, the Wuhan Municipal Government's work report proposed the goal of becoming an "City of Engineering Design." After seven years of preparation and two years of application, centered around the theme of "Old City, New Life" Wuhan was successfully selected as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in November 2017, becoming the only city in China to be recognized as a "City of Design" through engineering design. The title of "City of Design" has become a world-class city IP for Wuhan. Since its successful designation, Wuhan has leveraged the "City of Design" platform to connect with global creative resources, empowering the city's economic and social development with significant achievements.

Firstly, Wuhan has accumulated industry development momentum, promoting high-quality development in design. Centered around the construction of the "City of Design," Wuhan has actively promoted the integrated development of various design categories such as engineering design, industrial design, fashion design, animation design, esports, gastronomy and music. This approach encourages large, medium, and small enterprises, as well as independent designers, to leverage their respective strengths, forming a distinctive and integrated development pattern.

Secondly, Wuhan adheres to the principles of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing, with public participation promoting the revitalization of its old city. Centered around the theme of "Old City, New Life," Wuhan has developed an integrated urban spatial system comprising "urban areas, districts, and parks" through approaches such as "city examination resource discovery, district planning, spatial organization, community building, and relationship reshaping." By recognizing 12 "City of Design" demonstration parks like Tanhualin City of Design Industrial Park and 100 "City of Design" creative communities like Gegjiaying Community, Wuhan has advanced the revitalization of its old city from specific points to a broader scale. This approach allows for widespread public participation in community construction, integrating the City of Design into urban renewal.

Thirdly, Wuhan actively participates in cooperative exchanges and integrates into the global Creative Cities Network. Assuming the role of the coordinator city, Wuhan serves the global Cities of Design subnetwork and assists in the high-quality development of new members. Relying on platforms such as Wuhan Design Day and the Wuhan Design Biennale, the city actively hosts international design exchange events like the Creative Cities Roundtable Conference, Guest City Exhibitions, City of Design Invitation Exhibitions, and Fifteen Seconds introduced from Graz. Through these creative design activities, Wuhan has established practical cooperation with global creative cities, becoming an active member and a strong promoter of crossover innovative activities within the Creative Cities Network.