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Cardiff's Identity

With Cardiff set for a large expansion, what do you think Cardiff's identity and culture will be like in 30 years time? Any predicted trends? Will the city become more Welsh/British/English/European?

Re: Cardiff's Identity

I think it will probably follow current trends becoming both more Welsh and more cosmopolitan and feeling less and less like an English or British provincial city.

By "Welsh" I'm not refering to the language - although that's part of it. It's the gradual disappearance of the attitude that once existed where many Cardiffians regarded a Welsh identity as at best a distraction, at worst a disadvantage. I think most Cardiffians now undrestand the benfits and responsibilties capital city status bring and are happy to embrace a modern Welsh identity

Re: Cardiff's Identity

after a record 29th premier league title on the bounce and a record 28th champions league finalwin, the mighty bluebirds establish themselves as the greatest team in football the world has ever seen.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

I think someone has been at the falling down water.....

Re: Cardiff's Identity

It's an interesting question to which I don't really know the answer. At the moment there are a lot of commuters coming into Cardiff from outside, I presume because a disproportionate number of the jobs created in south Wales in recent years have been in the capital. Expansion would allow many of those (Valley) people to live in Cardiff. Students are another thing to consider. There are a lot of international students here of course but many of those will leave once their studies are over. Quite frankly Cardiff like a lot of British cities needs to try and keep more of the students who study here in the city after they graduate. Essentially that means jobs. Cardiff needs English students and to try and keep some of them after they graduate. Accepting English immigration is a necessity.

A bigger question is what happens to 'Britishness'. It's something I regret but it seems to me that being British has never been so devalued. Whether it can be revived at some time in the future I don't know. If the English move to a primarily English identity then it's certainly in trouble.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

Frank
A bigger question is what happens to 'Britishness'. It's something I regret but it seems to me that being British has never been so devalued. Whether it can be revived at some time in the future I don't know. If the English move to a primarily English identity then it's certainly in trouble.


Unlike you I don't regret it - but I think you're spot-on in identifying that the "British" identity is in trouble. It's interesting how politicians these days tend to refer to "the nations of the UK" rather than a "British nation" and how the Union flag appears to have given way to the respective national flags in Wales, England and Scotland.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

Ash

..... how the Union flag appears to have given way to the respective national flags in Wales, England and Scotland.


Definitely correct. I was watching the Thatcher funeral this morning and her coffin was draped in a..........whoops....Union Flag. What is happening? Ash said it was finished!!??

Re: Cardiff's Identity

As much as I love the UK, for all of its flaws, I think that it has sarted on the slow path of destruction. People these days prefer to call themselves English/Scottish/Welsh/Northern Irish, rather than British.

Let's face it, when people on TV, or in the media say "British" they actually mean English. That is understandable, but I think that the other parts of the Uk, such as Scotland, feel undervalued. Hence the recent spike in Scottish nationalism, no doubt fueled by all of the cuts and recession-related woes.

I think that within the next few years our population will hit and surpass four-hundred thousand, though I think it'll be a long time before we crack the half-million mark. We are running out of room to build houses, though new opportunities for building will spring up if we officially annex Penarth and some of the northern towns like Caerphilly. Most of the villagers and townsfolk probably won't like becoming part of Cardiff, but it really is only a matter of time.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

Taking a slight tangent down the "expansion of Cardiff" route...

.. If the city does need to expand significantly in terms of area, the North West and West have the the greatest scope. West of the A4232 and the area between Creigau, Church Village and Pontyclun are quite accessable, and have pretty good topography to make building easy. It wouldn't have the 'merging' concern you get with development between Cardiff and Newport, and isn't really "Valleys" either.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

What will the people of those villages think about the idea of becoming part of Cardiff? I imagine some will be happy, but then others will talk about the loss of indentity, community, and such.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

TheLordcrow
What will the people of those villages think about the idea of becoming part of Cardiff? I imagine some will be happy, but then others will talk about the loss of indentity, community, and such.


The thing is if they liked Cardiff much, they'd probably already live here.

I do think having villages like Rhiwbina and Whitchurch incorporated into Cardiff has helped avoid creating meaningless suburbs with no structure to them. If new suburbs are built then first of all you should start with a high street and work out the transport links. Then build the houses around it and in such a way that it is easy to walk around. Not just dead end cul de sacs that suggest the only direction people need to go in is either towards the city centre or the M4.

Random makes some interesting suggestions about development though to me it would be crazy to think about expansion way north when you've got land south of LLandough and between Dinas and Penarth. Sounds like he is thinking around the area where I suggest a new airport is built. In some respects I think Pontyclun is roughly the population centre of gravity in south Wales. Not far from Cardiff, only half an hour or so from Swansea and obviously near the Valleys.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

Cardiff is a city of villages - Llanishen, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch, St Fagans, Radyr, Cregiau, Rumney, St Mellons, Llandaff, Lisvane, are all former villages with a recognisable centre that have been incorporated into the city over time.

Places like Tongwynlais, which in my youth were viewed as the distant valleys, are now pretty much Cardiff, the same with Taffs Well, Peterson Super Ely, Pentyrch etc etc.

The most unsuccessful parts of Cardiff (in my opinion) are where development has taken place in isolation such as Llanrumney, Pentwyn, Pontprennau etc.

Re: Cardiff's Identity

TheLordcrow
As much as I love the UK, for all of its flaws, I think that it has sarted on the slow path of destruction. People these days prefer to call themselves English/Scottish/Welsh/Northern Irish, rather than British.

Let's face it, when people on TV, or in the media say "British" they actually mean English. That is understandable, but I think that the other parts of the Uk, such as Scotland, feel undervalued. Hence the recent spike in Scottish nationalism, no doubt fueled by all of the cuts and recession-related woes.

I think that within the next few years our population will hit and surpass four-hundred thousand, though I think it'll be a long time before we crack the half-million mark. We are running out of room to build houses, though new opportunities for building will spring up if we officially annex Penarth and some of the northern towns like Caerphilly. Most of the villagers and townsfolk probably won't like becoming part of Cardiff, but it really is only a matter of time.


I think its possible to expand a city without expanding it. Its all about names and structures. I'm thinking of Greater Manchester, Oldham is in Greater Manchester, but its still Oldham and proud of it and rightly so. In the same way, VOG, RCT, Newport and others could be in Greater Cardiff. Community is important to people and gives identity and a sense of stability and a sense of place and that applies to Penarth, Newport, Porth and to every other town and village throughout the UK.

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