From Cardiff to Copenhagen: What our capital can learn from leading cities
From Cardiff to Copenhagen: What our capital can learn from leading cities
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Cardiff is increasingly recognised as a great place to live, work and do business. With a highly educated workforce, strong quality of life rankings and major infrastructure investment such as the South Wales Metro, the capital has clear strengths. But in today’s competitive landscape, those strengths must be matched by supportive policy, targeted investment and effective governance if Cardiff is to realise its full potential.
Across the UK and Europe, cities are positioning themselves as global hubs for innovation, culture and inclusive growth. Cardiff must be empowered to do the same.
European cities like Dublin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam show what’s possible when local ambition is matched by the right tools. Dublin’s focus on digital infrastructure and global talent, Copenhagen’s integration of sustainability and quality of life into economic strategy, and Amsterdam’s open regulatory environment have helped them thrive.
Closer to home, the 2024 ING Media report shows how UK cities are using culture as an engine of growth. Manchester saw a 12% rise in digital visibility last year thanks to major cultural and sporting events. Bradford, next year’s UK City of Culture, recorded the fastest growth in visibility of any UK city. These cities are attracting attention and investment by turning their soft power into economic power.
Cardiff has similar assets: world-class venues, major sporting events, vibrant creative sectors. Yet it ranks just 14th for digital visibility and captures less than 1% of the UK’s total inward investment conversation online. The city has the ingredients, it’s the tools and amplification that are missing.
ING’s research shows a direct link between a city’s cultural capital and its ability to attract inward investment. Cities that dominate the conversation around culture, sustainability and talent are also those seen as attractive destinations for business and growth.
Cardiff already has an enviable portfolio of cultural and sporting events. From international rugby and football at the Principality Stadium to global music acts, creative festivals and a thriving grassroots scene, the city knows how to deliver memorable moments on the big stage. These events bring people, profile and pride – but too often, their long-term economic potential is left underdeveloped.
We need to move from event hosting to legacy building. That means embedding these moments into a wider economic strategy: driving footfall beyond the event day, supporting local creative supply chains, and using the spotlight to amplify Cardiff’s offer to investors, visitors and talent alike.
Cardiff has the cultural assets, what’s needed now is a more strategic approach to making them work harder and smarter for the city’s future.
Cardiff already contributes significantly to jobs, productivity and cultural capital in Wales. But its role is not always recognised in policy or funding decisions. The capital remains overly reliant on the public sector and lacks the levers to fully shape its economic future.
Outdated frameworks like the business rates system are holding back the sectors that make Cardiff visible, vibrant and investable. Retail, hospitality and creative industries are vital to the capital’s city centre economy and cultural identity – yet they face disproportionate costs and policy headwinds.
Reforming business rates isn’t just a financial fix. It’s a chance to invest in the places and experiences that define Cardiff’s offer to residents, visitors and investors alike.
If we want Cardiff to compete with cities like Manchester or Copenhagen, we must be honest about what’s holding it back. That means:
- Recognising Cardiff’s unique role and funding it fairly, both at Welsh and UK levels
- Reforming economic levers like business rates to support culture-led growth
- Giving the capital more autonomy to shape its economic strategy
- Proactively investing in Cardiff’s visibility – amplifying its cultural assets and telling its story on the global stage
This isn’t about special pleading. It’s about equipping the capital city of Wales with the same tools other ambitious cities use to thrive.
Cardiff has the talent, assets and ambition to be one of Europe’s leading small capital cities. But potential alone is not enough. To unlock it, the city must be empowered to lead, not just symbolically, but economically. If Wales is to thrive, its capital must be able to stand tall, tell its story, and drive the nation forward.
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