19.08.2004
A recent research study carried out at the University of Brighton finds that students in Brighton and Hove have little inclination to live in student 'enclaves'. Instead they are dispersed throughout the city, living as part of their local communities.
The study was undertaken by Dr Darren P.Smith and Dr Louise Holt of the School of the Environment's Geography Division. It was commissioned by the University’s accommodation services to provide information on which to draft a long-term accommodation strategy.
Drs Smith and Holt found that residential concentrations of students in Brighton and Hove are limited. In fact, the city provides a valuable case study for other university towns in that, unlike cities such as Nottingham, Cardiff, Leeds and Birmingham, there is no evidence of a 'student ghetto'.
The study identifies three main factors influencing the Brighton and Hove situation:
- The pro-active role of the University’s Accommodation Office and its innovative use of head-leasing schemes and search processes. This has resulted in students being relatively dispersed throughout the city and there is limited evidence of private letting agents steering students to particular areas.
- Most Brighton and Hove students do not feel the need to live in a specific student area to acquire a student identity. They feel 'at home' alongside other social groups and do not restrict their shopping or social lives to student-oriented services and facilities. According to the study, the city’s cultural diversity is a major influence here and provides a valuable example for students mixing easily in the local community.
- Students consider a wide range of potential residential locations throughout the city. Their choices are, however, to some extent limited by negative perceptions of some areas within Brighton and Hove. The study suggests that more effective student-community relations could help to change these negative perceptions, with the result that new residential areas for the city's increasing student population could be opened up. Such a development would reduce the possibility of any 'student ghetto' forming in the city in the future.
The research study also included a survey of what 350 Brighton and Hove students thought about their accommodation. This identified high levels of satisfaction, both in terms of quality and location.
The University’s Director of Finance, Kirsten Gillingham, welcomed the study’s findings:
"We're pleased to see such positive outcomes from this research and, in particular, its finding that students are integrating well into their local communities in Brighton and Hove. It will be important to build on the positive achievements of our accommodation services in meeting the needs and preferences of our students. This study provides us with a more informed picture of what we’re doing that works, and what we need to do to address students’ negative perceptions and experiences."
Contact: Dr Darren P.Smith, University of Brighton, 01273 643318 or email D.Smith@brighton.ac.uk
See related research: Students good for Eastbourne's Health
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
