Detroit has become the first U.S. city to receive the “city of design” designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

It will join 47 other cities from 33 countries as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, which is made up of cities with a strong legacy in one of seven creative fields, from gastronomy and literature to design.

Member cities commit to collaborate, promote creativity and cultural industries, share best practices, strengthen participation in cultural life and integrate culture in economic and social development strategies and plans.

Becoming a member of the network enables Detroit’s design community “to learn and exchange best practices from network cities worldwide, amplifying our existing efforts to build a better city and region through the power of design,” said Ellie Schneider, interim executive director of the Detroit Creative Corridor Center, which led the effort to secure the designation to promote growth in the city’s design industries.

After convening a coalition of 29 civic, educational and design advisers, DC3 said it developed and executed a strategy to establish Detroit as a global center of design through business support, attraction efforts and events including Drinks x Design and the Detroit Design Festival.

“Detroit is the cradle of American industrial modernism and one of the few cities that has fundamentally changed the way the world works, lives and moves,” said Richard Rogers, president of the College for Creative Studies, which founded DC3 with Business Leaders for Michigan in 2010.

"Detroit designers continue to have a powerful impact on society today, and being a part of the UNESCO network will magnify their impact,” he said in a release.

In honor of the designation, DC3 said it is planning a yearlong celebration of design in Detroit for 2016 and will share more details after the organization’s new Executive Director Olga Stella joins the team next month.