Understanding Place:
Discovering Brighton & Hove Together
At Gather Brighton & Hove, we believe that to serve our city well, we first need to understand it deeply — its story, its people, its challenges, and its promise.
We’re embarking on an initiative to understand our place — what makes Brighton & Hove distinctive, how its past and present shape the life of the city, and how the Church can be a creative partner in its flourishing.
A Shared Story
This project isn’t just about data — it’s about relationship. Through neighbourhood conversations, place walks, and story-sharing, we’ll explore:
What makes each part of Brighton & Hove distinctive?
What are its wounds and its gifts?
Where is hope already growing?
Together we’ll weave these threads into a shared narrative — one that celebrates creativity, acknowledges struggle, and points toward renewal and belonging.
What Comes Next
Over the coming months we’ll:
Form a small research and facilitation team – combining Gather leaders, local researchers, and community voices.
Collect data and stories – from public sources, church mapping, and neighbourhood experiences.
Produce an Understanding Brighton & Hove report and interactive maps.
Host workshops and a launch event to share findings and spark collaboration.
Our hope is that this work will give both the Church and the city a clearer sense of who we are, where we are, and what we might become together.
Get Involved
If you’d like to help shape this journey — by sharing local knowledge, stories, or data, or by joining the research and mapping group — we’d love to hear from you.
Contact: christianactionbrighton@gmail.com
Website: www.christianactionbrighton.com
By paying attention to the story beneath our streets and the people within them, we can rediscover the vocation of the Church — not just in Brighton & Hove, but with Brighton & Hove.
Helpful Links & Resources
Here are some useful links for those interested in exploring or contributing:
Gather Movement
Mapping and Engagement Tools
Brighton & Hove Civic Frameworks
Data and Context
Why “Understanding Place”?
A Place Review (as described by the Gather Movement) is “a study of a city or town which helps local leaders and churches better understand their place in their local context and region, enabling them to become more effective in mission and civic engagement.”
This isn’t just about research — it’s about equipping the Church and civic partners with a shared understanding of Brighton & Hove so that we can serve wisely, love faithfully, and work together for the common good.
Understanding Place matters because:
Context shapes everything. Places are shaped by their history, geography and relationships. Exploring these helps us see how Brighton & Hove’s identity — as a seaside city of creativity, diversity, and tension — continues to shape life today.
Insight strengthens engagement. When we understand the forces that shape our city — from housing and health to migration and the environment — the Church can act more strategically and collaboratively.
Shared language leads to shared action. A Place Review helps churches, civic authorities, and communities find a common vocabulary for hope and transformation.
Mission is local. The Church’s calling is incarnational — rooted in the particularities of place. Understanding our city helps us to join in what God is already doing here, in partnership with others.
For Brighton & Hove, “Understanding Place” means asking:
What is this city’s story? What are its challenges and opportunities? And how can the Church be a faithful, hopeful presence within it?
Learning from History
Brighton & Hove’s story is shaped by its geography and creativity — a fishing village turned Georgian resort, now a dynamic, diverse coastal city. From the Regency terraces and seafront architecture to post-war estates in Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb, every area tells part of the city’s evolving narrative of migration, growth and change.
By tracing this history — its industries, social movements, and faith heritage — we learn how the past still influences housing, belonging, economy and community today.
Listening to the City Today
Our work will be grounded in current local priorities. The Brighton & Hove City Council Plan (2023–2027, Refresh 2025) and the emerging City Plan 2041 identify key themes:
Tackling inequality and improving wellbeing
Creating a fair, sustainable and green city
Addressing housing and homelessness
Building resilience for a net-zero future
These priorities resonate strongly with the Church’s heart for community, justice, hospitality, and creation care. By bringing together civic intelligence (data, plans, and policy) and faith insight (presence, compassion, networks), we can spot where partnership is possible and where new opportunities might grow.
Mapping Mission and Presence
Using mapping tools such as Proximity’s Mission Mapping and the CCX Mapping Tool, we’ll visualise where churches and Christian organisations are active across Brighton & Hove.
This will help us to:
See where the Church is already present — and where it’s less visible
Understand the kinds of work happening (youth, food, homelessness, environment, mental health)
Identify opportunities for collaboration with local government, charities, and communities
Overlaying church activity with data on deprivation, regeneration, and environment will help build a shared picture of hope and need across our city.
