Coming from Wales myself, it was a pleasure to hear that the Welsh Assembly recently approved plans for a multi-million pound urban regeneration plan in Swansea, a town of 220,000 on the south coast of Wales.
Having visited the town on many occasions I can honestly say that there are very few places that need innovative urban regeneration as much as Swansea. The plans, developed by Coastal Housing Group, include space for shops, offices, restaurants, and affordable housing arranged in a courtyard style. The area set for redevelopment is predominantly derelict or demolished.
The developers believe the area is more likely to achieve long term sustainability by focusing on the creative economy, stating the following as their vision for the development:
To build a creative cluster designed for people involved in a wide range of creative industries such as advertising and marketing, architecture, computer and video games, crafts and the media.
The development is expected to take 5 years, starting with the refurbishment of a 10th century warehouse into artists studios, gallery space, print making facility, lecture theatre and, of course, a cafe for all the expected visitors.