Cardiff

Summary
Cardiff plays a unique role in Wales. Over the
past decade it has been the main source of
new jobs in the city-region, and over a third
of the city’s workforce commute in each day
from surrounding areas.
It has grown rapidly, both in a Welsh and
UK context. More strikingly, Cardiff’s growth
rates outstrip all the major UK cities, with
projections placing it as the fastest growing
UK city over the next 20 years.
This economic and population growth is good
news for Cardiff – a successful city attracts
people, particularly talented people.
However, it also brings challenges: new homes
– indeed, new communities - will need to be
built for these new citizens; new schools – and
new teachers will be needed to accommodate
the large rise in school age children; new
transport infrastructure and services – roads,
buses, trains, cycle-routes – will be needed
to keep the city moving, particularly at peak
times; and services will need to adapt to care
for the needs of the city’s growing elderly
population.
Large inequalities exist within the city, with
big differences evident in the economic and
health outcomes for citizens, differences
which are hidden by strong performance
across key city wide indicators.