Case Study

Ideopolis: knowledge city-regions - Brighton case study  explores Brighton’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers, making policy recommendations and indicating what other cities can learn from Brighton’s experience.

Key findings include:

• Physical knowledge city: Brighton is landlocked by the sea to the south and the downs to the north. Creating the physical knowledge city demands boldness in building on what is there.
• Diverse specialisation: Brighton has a diverse economic base with some niche specialisms, particularly within the creative and cultural industries. A potential weakness is the over reliance on small businesses, with only a handful of large private sector employers.
• High skill organisations: Brighton has a skilled labour market, but there is a concern about the lack of graduate jobs to retain talent in the city and also the low-wage element to the economy.
• Distinctive knowledge city offer: Brighton has a distinctive “quirky” offer, most notably in the substantial arts and cultural offering (especially Brighton Festival, the largest arts festival in England). Any future planning decisions need to be mindful of retaining Brighton’s distinctive identity.
• Leveraging strong connectivity: The city is well connected and uses proximity to London to its advantage. The main challenge is related to planning for and managing growth.
• Investing in communities: Like other cities, Brighton has not seen the ‘trickle down’ effect of increased prosperity improving the quality of life for all residents.