Cardiff Bay – A brief history

The maritime history of the port of Cardiff dates back to Viking Times. At this coiffe it was only a sm each port which had a fairly changeless flow of imports and exports.In 1794 the construction of the Glamorgan ravish canal which resulted from the suppuration of the campaign industry meant that the export of iron through Cardiff became huge (350,000 tonnes a year).During the gage p blind of the nineteenth century the port hold backd to grow at a fast rate, this was Cardiffs heyday.During the First World warf argon Cardiff saw a dramatic decline in exports and the port and city. During the Second World War Cardiff had just aboutwhat of a renaissance due to its key geographical location. after(prenominal) being passed to and from the public and close sectors and with the continuing decline of the Wales burn palm Cardiff left large surface atomic number 18as of Cardiff useless as it all depended on the coal flow.Cardiff then diversified into activities such as oil, grain , frozen products and steel. This meant that thither was no longer a demand for some of Cardiffs older dock facilities.The Glamorgan ship canal, which prompted the growth and prosperity of Cardiff, was filled in, in 1955. Then in 1964 the merelye watt Dock was closed and shortly afterwards the Bute East Dock in 1970.It is this bleak history which prompted the plans for the transformation of Cardiff Docks into Cardiff mouth.The Cardiff Bay Regeneration ProjectThe CBDC (Cardiff Bay Development Corporation) was set up in April 1987 by the then deposit of State for Wales Nicholas Edwards. It was formed as part of the establishments urban development platform aiming to regenerate deprived and run down inner city argonas of Britain.The CBDC was inclined the task of regenerating the old docklands arena of the city. Because of the scaled of the line of sour (only both of the five docks remain operational) this means this is the second largest redevelopment scheme in Europe.Read in addition History QuizzesThe CBDC gave this mission statementTo put Cardiff on the external map as a superlative maritime city which leave alone stand comparison with any such city in the world, thereby enhancing the image and economic well-being of Cardiff and Wales as a unscathedThis was a brave statement and was followed up by these main objectivesTo gain ground development and provide a superb environment in which nation would pauperism to live, work and play.To re-unite the city of Cardiff with its waterfront.To bring advancing a assortment of development which would create a wide operate of job opportunities and beam the hopes and aspirations of communities of the area.To achieve the highest standards of throw and quality in all types of investment.To establish the area as a recognised centre of excellence and innovation in the Field of urban regeneration.These objectives were to be met by introducing businesses into the local area and edifice shops and amenitie s basically all achieved through huge amounts of government funding.Strategies (what has been through with(p)?)Some large companies curb also decided to locate in Cardiff and are providing new jobs. One such company is NCM which is a Dutch insurance company, with large companies deal this being based in Cardiff a sense of confidence will be reinforced up and other(a) businesses will also relocate.The air system is direct referred to as an Ultasystem. basically there has been a huge improvement in public transport with regular busses taking you all round the city. The City is also attached via water fronts and you can travel by water around Cardiff if you indirect request to. The traffic is also not as bad as in a push-down stack of modern cities which virtuosos to less pollution and a nicer air. on that point is a vast difference in the public and private residential areas. The public residential areas are rather ugly and drab, the surroundings are poorly kept and there is a lack of variety. However the newer private residential area is much nicer. Both in its appearance and its atmosphere rather than cramped it is spacious with well maintained surroundings. in that location are also many local amenities in the private areas. skilful details can be seen in the table attached.The locals dont seem to like the newcomers that much smooth tolerate them all the same. It may be a long time before there is a sense of alliance spirit amid the different fractions. But this said it is very gruelling to measure something like a sense of community and the relationship between neighbours because it is often the minority which is seen and heard whereas the majority dont dedicate a problem with it.The job opportunities are kind of good in the area. on that point are both low skilled jobs in which most masses could thread a job and also large employers such as NCM who head a wide range of jobs and promotional opportunities. Having said that they is sti ll quite a lot of un congresswoman around Cardiff but this is true in Wales as a whole and not a localised problem. But the commerce situation locally has vastly improved since the CBDC have taken action.There has also been massive redevelopment. The Millennium waterfront provides entertainment which pubs and bars. From private investors there is also a sports village with many very good sporting facilities. There are also conservation areas. These all provide entertainment for the pack living in Cardiff and also provide a nicer environment, keeping people happy.Cardiff Bays departed can be seen all around, from older buildings with interesting architecture to disused warehouses. The main clue to Cardiffs historical past lies in museums and the design of buildings, indicating a rich and diverse past in which the port vie a major role in the city. There is also a castle in Cardiff which somehow seems out of place in a port city.Most of the original buildings in the area withou t delay have different purposes. For example the Norwegian Church has now been converted into an art gallery and coffee shop, complete with a tourist shop. This is symbolic of how Cardiff has had to adapt, now replying on new business and tourism rather than on a single source (coal).I think the old buildings at root detract from the maritime environment until you currentise that buildings like these were only built here because of all the different cultures coming in from the port. When you view them in that context you can plainly see that they stand as monuments to Cardiffs past as one of the major ports of the world.EvaluationThere is strong cause to suggest that this has not worked. One prime example is that of the emptiness in the shopping centre, most of the shops are up for rent and empty and the ones that are there are mostly coffee shops and aimed at tourists. This means that midget has been done to the actual people of Cardiff apart from disguising the bay as a good p lace to visit for tourists.However I dont believe this is the case.The real question that has to be asked in any evaluation is, have the objectives been met? intumesce here are the objectives that were laid down by the CBDCTo promote development and provide a superb environment in which people would want to live, work and play.There are many local amenities which have been built including educational facilities such as techniquest which promote a fall apart environment for children. People that were interviewed did like it where they were living, it was also evident that people were tall of their heritage, in my opinion this object has been met, perhaps not fully but at least a vast improvement.To re-unite the city of Cardiff with its waterfront.This is perhaps a harder task because it replies more on the people of Cardiff rather than any government schemes. But there has been a start regular ferries go on the water front to different parts of Cardiff establishing an important l ink.To bring forward a mix of development which would create a wide range of job opportunities and reflect the hopes and aspirations of communities of the area.There is not so much of a mix of jobs going as perhaps the CBDC wanted but there are certainly some good opportunities for jobs now. A good example are jobs large companies such as NCM provide. However the work is curb to a small amount of industrial work, tourism work and some small scale commercial work. So for people with skills outside those professions there is not so much of a scope for work. However this is still a great improvement and with growing confidence from other companies Cardiffs employment future is impressioning good.To achieve the highest standards of design and quality in all types of investment.This cant really be argued with all the new buildings are well designed and colourful. The quality is good and a lot of work goes into maintaining them. But although buildings look good, as always its whats on t he inside that truly counts (which isnt a lot in the shopping centre) But the objective has been met.To establish the area as a recognised centre of excellence and innovation in the Field of urban regeneration.I think people can distinctly see that there has been definite improvement. This is the second largest urban renewal in the whole of Europe so its going to take a modest longer to achieve this objective fully, but the CBDC is well on its way. remainderTo conclude I believe that the regeneration of Cardiff Docks into Cardiff Bay has been a success. But a limited success. This is because there is still a lot of work to be done. The CBDC now needs to look to the future and decide where it has do mistakes in the past, learn from them, and draw up some more outlined objectives, as the last were not specific enough. Once it has obtained these objectives it should try to edge one at a time, not all at at once which is what I feel they have done. With so much going on at once it would have been hard to manage and keep a clear view of the renewal situation as a whole, which lead to problems such as lack of interest in the shopping centre.They now have a strong foot hole and from this they can continue to improve Cardiff bay and eventually realise their dream-like statement.To put Cardiff on the international map as a superlative maritime city which will stand comparison with any such city in the world, thereby enhancing the image and economic well-being of Cardiff and Wales as a whole