As with many cities in the UK, Cardiff has had a turbulent modern history. The rapid industrialisation and coal mining in South Wales that fuelled Cardiff’s huge wealth in the 1900s rapidly faded over the next 100 years. Once a global port for exporting coal, by the mid- to late-1980s Cardiff found itself with derelict docklands, a congested city centre, a stagnant economy and widespread unemployment.
But today, as you wander in the bustling city centre, or around Cardiff Bay, past the Millennium Stadium or through the vibrant university quarter, it is evident that the city has come full circle. Today, Cardiff is one of the most promising economic and cultural hubs in the UK.
Cardiff’s miraculous regeneration story is one of targeted investment acting as a catalyst. One classic example is the Millennium Stadium. Through private money and a £46m Millennium Grant, Cardiff has built a 21st  century stadium: an ideal arena to host a raft of major sporting and musical events. This city centre stadium, complete with retractable roof and removable pitch, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and has driven a series of other improvements. These include expanding and modernising the central station next door, a fleet of new hotels and hospitality outlets, new shopping and entertainment attractions such as those at the Millennium and Westgate plazas, and a picturesque river walk nearby.
The Cardiff Bay project is another example. The £850m project, managed by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, has transformed this otherwise forgotten waterfront into a beautiful, modern district set around a 500-acre freshwater lake. Having attracted many private investors, the bay area hosts a number of commercial buildings, bars, shops and restaurants as well as the Millennium Centre, home to the Welsh National Opera, the Science Centre ‘Techniquest’, and the recently completed National Assembly building. The building’s design, with its water-collecting roof, geothermal heating and high energy-efficiency, should be the envy of all who work in the environmentally unsustainable Palace of Westminster.
Cardiff has also become a vibrant and youthful city. The success of Cardiff’s three main universities means that today the city teems with young people from all over the world. The fact that graduate retention rates are among the highest in the UK demonstrates the city’s growing popularity and changing attitudes to Cardiff, and Wales in general. The city now has a pool of highly skilled young professionals, which in turn has attracted a wide range of employers.
Cardiff’s urban regeneration has been truly remarkable: so much has been achieved in such a short space of time. But there are many more opportunities just around the corner. The energy debate has prompted calls for a reappraisal of a Severn barrage or tidal lagoon projects, which would be located on the city’s doorstep. The proposed Cardiff Airport expansion could push Cardiff even further onto the international scene.
And Cardiff will surely act as a stimulus for development in other parts of Wales and as a focal point for Welsh business, politics and culture. The city has proved itself a dynamic, robust and thriving capital – its next step is global stardom!