{"id":588,"date":"2026-04-29T11:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T11:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/creative-economy\/?p=588"},"modified":"2026-06-10T10:26:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:26:04","slug":"mapping-wales-creative-pulse-the-journey-to-the-creative-economy-atlas-cymru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/creative-economy\/mapping-wales-creative-pulse-the-journey-to-the-creative-economy-atlas-cymru\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Wales\u2019 creative pulse: the journey to the Creative Economy Atlas Cymru"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we first set out to \u201cmap\u201d\u00a0Wales\u2019\u00a0creative economy, there was no single place\u00a0to find data.\u00a0As the creative industries span various classification codes, hybrid\u00a0firms\u00a0and project-based work with a high share of self-employment there\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a single administrative dataset that captures the whole picture and\u00a0even definitions vary across frameworks<\/a>.\u00a0Various organisations hold valuable datasets,\u00a0but each covering different slices of the ecosystem that still need stitching together.\u00a0This complexity is global, not just\u00a0an issue in Wales.\u00a0That\u00a0challenge sparked a multi-year journey at Cardiff University\u2019s Centre for the Creative Economy,\u00a0one that began with our earliest mapping\u00a0work and has grown into today\u2019s national, interactive\u00a0Creative Economy Atlas Cymru<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Where we began<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our starting point was\u00a0Cardiff: Creative Capital \u2013 Mapping Cardiff\u2019s Creative Economy (2017)<\/strong><\/a>, the first attempt to chart the city\u2019s creative footprint in a systematic, accessible way.\u00a0The report was supported by the British Council and it profiled companies, freelancers, and hot-spots, and confirmed what many sensed: creativity was central to the local economy, but evidence was scattered and hard to act on. That report\u00a0laid\u00a0the methodological foundations for everything that followed.<\/p>\n

Prototyping an atlas in\u00a0Clwstwr<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The next\u00a0step forward\u00a0came with\u00a0Clwstwr (2018\u20132023)<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0the AHRC-funded R&D programme for the screen sector in South Wales. Within\u00a0Clwstwr\u00a0we built a first prototype of a national atlas: an online map that began to layer companies, spaces, and projects to show how activity clusters across Wales. The prototype proved the concept\u00a0and revealed where we needed more granularity, better coverage, and a broader view\u00a0of the creative economy.<\/p>\n

From prototype to\u00a0accessible\u00a0platform\u00a0in Media Cymru<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2023 – 2024, we expanded and rebuilt the tool\u00a0–\u00a0this time\u00a0including more data and more features –\u00a0working with\u00a0Creative Wales<\/a>\u00a0(Welsh Government)\u00a0and\u00a0within the research, development and innovation (RD&I) programme\u00a0Media Cymru<\/u><\/strong>.\u00a0The result is the\u00a0current\u00a0Creative Economy Atlas Cymru, managed by the Centre.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0designed for researchers, policymakers, businesses and freelancers alike \u2013 providing a resource for anyone who needs a clear, navigable picture of\u00a0Wales\u2019\u00a0creative ecosystem.\u00a0Engagement with our tool has been steady and on request, we have shared the Atlas at industry and academic conferences where it has received positive reception.<\/p>\n

What the Atlas lets you do<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Atlas enables you to explore nine creative sectors and nine types of creative spaces, alongside networks\/freelancers, innovation and funding projects (Clwstwr\u00a0and Media Cymru), and training opportunities\u00a0in Wales. Crucially, you can zoom from national to postcode level, or switch to local authority views to see where activity concentrates and where gaps might exist.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0both an analytical and practical tool: use it to find coworking or rehearsal spaces, discover clusters, or scan the pipeline of R&D projects.<\/p>\n

Start here:\u00a0<\/strong>Explore the Atlas<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the hood, the Atlas aggregates multiple datasets. Firm-level insights draw on Bureau van Dijk \/ Companies House micro-data (via SIC codes), with the option to view different sector delineations\u00a0(DCMS, Creative Wales, and Media Cymru)\u00a0so users can compare perspectives. Beyond businesses, datasets include\u00a0Creative\u00a0Cardiff spaces, Creative Cardiff members (opt-in), Cultural Freelancers Wales (opt-in),\u00a0Clwstwr\u00a0and Media Cymru projects, and training mapped by the University of South Wales.\u00a0By combining national datasets with locally sourced data points, the Atlas offers full picture of\u00a0Wales\u2019\u00a0creative economy\u00a0capturing not only headline trends but also the grassroots spaces, networks and\u00a0freelancers that usually slip through national statistics.\u00a0We\u00a0document sources openly on the\u00a0site\u2019s\u00a0Data Sources page<\/a>.\u00a0Additionally, we added various accessibility features, that help everyone to get access to our data.<\/p>\n

A tool shaped by iteration (and users)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From day one, we built the Atlas as a living resource.\u00a0The interface supports filters (e.g., sector, space type,\u00a0funder\u00a0and year for projects), and overlays to help contextualise creative activity in place. These features\u00a0emerged\u00a0directly from workshops and user testing: researchers wanted to interrogate sector trends; local authorities asked for training and infrastructure layers; freelancers needed\u00a0a simple way\u00a0to find spaces and networks.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0core aim is to\u00a0break data silos<\/strong>\u00a0and make insights usable to a wide audience:\u00a0from prospective investors to early-career creatives choosing where to base themselves. That is also why the Atlas is publicly accessible and continuously improved with partner input.<\/p>\n

Why this matters now<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wales\u2019\u00a0creative economy is dynamic and distributed,\u00a0spanning micro-firms, freelancers, and a web of spaces and\u00a0programmes. Without a shared evidence base,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0hard to spot clusters,\u00a0identify\u00a0\u201cnot-spots\u201d or align investment in skills and infrastructure. The Atlas responds to that need: it surfaces the breadth of activity and makes it actionable – for policy design, regional development, business decisions, skills planning and sector advocacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0next\u00a0and how to get involved<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Wales, the UK and, increasingly, global partners build a clearer picture of the creative economy, one thing is constant:\u00a0better decisions follow better data<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Our invitation is simple:<\/p>\n