Sound, spatial justice and social infrastructures: participatory listening research for public engagement and policy mobilisation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Brighton
Department Name: Sch of Humanities & Social Sci (SHSS)
Abstract
Wave after wave of crises and polarising inequalities have renewed policy attention onto how local communities themselves can provide vital support, knowledge and leadership in forging solutions. The rise in deep poverty requires radical change and new ways to imagine and shape our transition out of such foundational challenges (Joseph Rowntree Trust, 2023). Brexit and the pandemic have simultaneously demonstrated stark uneven geographies and the potential power of neighbourhood resilience (Unwin, 2023). There is both a consultation need and fatigue around social infrastructures, regeneration, public health and sustainability (Wynn et al., 2022; RTPI, 2023). Creative practices present a source of transformational change that can stimulate new connections, imagine different futures and inspire action (Vervoot et al., 2023). My PhD research pioneers a creative participatory methodology that can make timely contributions to public engagement in these social policy realms, which this Fellowship aims to mobilise.
I have developed a co-methodology, participatory listening research, that can be extended and applied to public engagement. Participatory listening research is a way of listening with others to our environment that generates new knowledge whilst embracing different listening experiences, practices and positionalities. Specifically, the PhD research applied this approach to gentrification, asking: What can listening with residents on the UK south coast tell us about urban seaside gentrification and displacement injustices? Gentrification is popularly contested and deeply rooted in policy-relevant spatial dynamics, offering a window onto broader societal trends (Smith, 2005). Listening creates a different way of connecting to over-rehearsed yet persistent issues of spatial injustice. By combining sound (Oliveros, 2003; Robinson, 2020) and mobile studies (Sheller, 2020) with a participatory ethos (Beebeejaun et al., 2013), listening with residents can expand our understandings of relationships to place and hyperlocal socio-environmental change.
Looking to the other extreme of uneven geographies, the government's Levelling Up agenda is concerned with restoring pride in place and social infrastructures in 'left behind communities' (APPG, 2023). Defined as 'the framework of institutions and the physical spaces that support shared civic life' (ibid:6), social infrastructures can seed social capital (British Academy & Power to Change, 2023). This has refocused public engagement attention onto devolved and neighbourhood-led infrastructures, such as Labour's parallel Take Back Control (Norris, 2023). My gentrification-specific analysis can be expanded to these broader policy concerns, questioning how hyperlocal socio-environmental change resonates through: the re-engagement of underserved communities, de-gentrification, public health and sustainability agendas.
Participatory listening research offers a new method for public engagement that is mutually beneficial, restorative and imaginatively-oriented. The Fellowship activities will extend, apply and deepen this methodology through creative engagement, knowledge exchange and academic dissemination. Firstly, I will add a novel dissemination method to the toolbox by co-creating interactive listening walks, geo-locative mobile soundwalks, a podcast and digital story that share the gentrification findings. These will be co-designed with local arts-based organisation, Brighton & Hove Music for Connection, in consultation with residents advisory and community groups. Secondly, using these creative outputs, a series of knowledge exchange symposia will be hosted with relevant academic, practice and policy networks. Thirdly, I will deepen the academic significance of this approach through journal publications, conference papers and funding proposals. Overall, the Fellowship will enable me to transition from the doctorate into a career as an applied and engaged social policy researcher.
I have developed a co-methodology, participatory listening research, that can be extended and applied to public engagement. Participatory listening research is a way of listening with others to our environment that generates new knowledge whilst embracing different listening experiences, practices and positionalities. Specifically, the PhD research applied this approach to gentrification, asking: What can listening with residents on the UK south coast tell us about urban seaside gentrification and displacement injustices? Gentrification is popularly contested and deeply rooted in policy-relevant spatial dynamics, offering a window onto broader societal trends (Smith, 2005). Listening creates a different way of connecting to over-rehearsed yet persistent issues of spatial injustice. By combining sound (Oliveros, 2003; Robinson, 2020) and mobile studies (Sheller, 2020) with a participatory ethos (Beebeejaun et al., 2013), listening with residents can expand our understandings of relationships to place and hyperlocal socio-environmental change.
Looking to the other extreme of uneven geographies, the government's Levelling Up agenda is concerned with restoring pride in place and social infrastructures in 'left behind communities' (APPG, 2023). Defined as 'the framework of institutions and the physical spaces that support shared civic life' (ibid:6), social infrastructures can seed social capital (British Academy & Power to Change, 2023). This has refocused public engagement attention onto devolved and neighbourhood-led infrastructures, such as Labour's parallel Take Back Control (Norris, 2023). My gentrification-specific analysis can be expanded to these broader policy concerns, questioning how hyperlocal socio-environmental change resonates through: the re-engagement of underserved communities, de-gentrification, public health and sustainability agendas.
Participatory listening research offers a new method for public engagement that is mutually beneficial, restorative and imaginatively-oriented. The Fellowship activities will extend, apply and deepen this methodology through creative engagement, knowledge exchange and academic dissemination. Firstly, I will add a novel dissemination method to the toolbox by co-creating interactive listening walks, geo-locative mobile soundwalks, a podcast and digital story that share the gentrification findings. These will be co-designed with local arts-based organisation, Brighton & Hove Music for Connection, in consultation with residents advisory and community groups. Secondly, using these creative outputs, a series of knowledge exchange symposia will be hosted with relevant academic, practice and policy networks. Thirdly, I will deepen the academic significance of this approach through journal publications, conference papers and funding proposals. Overall, the Fellowship will enable me to transition from the doctorate into a career as an applied and engaged social policy researcher.
| Description | The award has successfully worked towards its objectives of extending, deepening and applying the participatory listening research approach that I created during my doctoral research. I have effectively extended the methodological toolbox with a novel dissemination method by co-creating and consulting on interactive listening walks about seaside gentrification. I have deepened understanding of the potential of listening as an engagement tool and also applied the toolbox with other collaborators in areas of place-based social policy. The following summarises the key findings. Co-creation: Working with Bela Emerson (sonic artist), we have co-created Interactive Listening Walks about urban seaside gentrification on the Sussex coast 2023-4. An Interactive Listening Walk (ILW) is a participatory site-responsive group activity to promote active listening, curiosity, and new connections with people and places. Three ILWs were designed for Brighton Kemptown, East Worthing, and Central St Leonards-on-Sea based on PhD findings about the sonic experiences of gentrification. This built on a long-term, mutually beneficial community-university partnership between Brighton & Hove Music for Connection and the University of Brighton, and further developed shared working and creative practices. The ILW format was able to be effectively applied to complex place-based research findings because of its participatory, site, and topic-responsive design components. Consultation: Through six ILW pilots, 50 people were consulted with. Three groups were recruited: residents, community groups, and policy-related professionals. These groups offered feedback based on distinct combinations of experiences, knowledge, and relationships to both the neighbourhood and the topic. We designed bespoke and agile sessions that supported and responded to the specific motivations, needs, and dynamics of these three groups. This enabled a range of people to be involved in the project, which was further expanded by the delivery of three public ILW events and one academic workshop - totalling 83 people participating in 10 ILWs overall. Engagement through listening: We found that the ILWs effectively engaged a range of people in listening to urban seaside gentrification across the three Sussex neighbourhoods by: • sparking curiosity, learning, and new discoveries through listening about each neighbourhood and the processes of urban seaside gentrification • utilising the distinct qualities of listening to create meaningful connections with the surrounding and changing urban seaside environment • creating an unusual and playful intervention in everyday experiences of living, working, and visiting the neighbourhoods • careful and responsive curation of listening, walking, and playing activities • responding to participants' different motivations and needs to create an accessible and inclusive journey • facilitating valued time for people to listen together and thereby supporting the conditions for dialogue and debate about policy and planning issues. |
| Exploitation Route | Four workshops that use the PLR toolbox have been delivered with two other collaborating organisations working in other areas of social policy, namely ecological change and community-led regeneration: The Ecomusicology Project and the Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust. The potential for digital media walks has also been scoped through these activities. These findings indicate that these listening tools can be used effectively in engaging a range of people in place-based policy issues. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | It has had the following identifiable impact so far: • a positive impact on 83 participants taking part in listening-based engagement activities: sparking learning about listening, their neighbourhoods and the topic, creating meaningful mutual exchange and restorative wellbeing benefits • shared PhD research findings with a wide audience across the Sussex coast • sustained a community-university partnership with Brighton & Hove Music for Connection that continues to exchange knowledge, expertise and skills • developed new networks and relationships with 4 other third sector organisations (The Ecomusicology Project, Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust, Just Life and Amaze) • evaluated how participatory listening activities can engage a range of people in complex place-based issues and currently in the process of sharing this with professionals and academics through report, summary of findings, academic and creative outputs • demonstrated the potential of Interactive Listening Walks, and participatory listening more generally, as a tool for consultation and engagement in policy and planning • contributed to understandings about gentrification as a sonic experience through academic presentations, blog posts and a film so far, with academic papers in progress • identified new areas of research at the under-researched intersection of environmental and political listening: how does listening together to the environment enable and support listening to each other? |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Collaboration on session for youth group with additional needs |
| Organisation | Amaze |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | I created a bespoke session for their youth group for young people aged 18 to 25 with additional needs in Brighton. This was an interactive listening walk session, which brought together 8 young people to explore the neighbourhood and discuss their relationship to the neighbourhood. Feedback from all participants was this was a rewarding and insightful activity to do together that had restorative and wellbeing benefits. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Amaze provided staff and volunteer time to this session. One youth worker took part in a pre and post-event meeting to co-create the session and debrief. They recruited participants and attended the session with support from 2 other volunteers. They contributed their expertise in how best to design the session so it was supportive and inclusive, as well as providing valuable feedback. |
| Impact | Series of Interactive Listening Walk events on urban seaside gentrification for community groups |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Participatory listening to Circus Street, Who Owns Brighton |
| Organisation | Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | I led a day workshop on participatory listening research for the Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) community researchers. This was part of their Who Owns Brighton? project that sought to understand the different aspects of the planning and development process through investigating the case study site of Circus Street in Brighton. I applied my methodological toolbox to the site. The community researchers took part in a deep listening exercise, silent listening exploration of the site and participatory soundmapping. This helped the group reflect and interpret the findings of their research activities and generate new material for the project. I also presented at their community findings day, which shared the results of the project with a wider audience and contributed to the creation of their final outputs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The organisation provided the venue, refreshments and soundmapping resources for the day workshop. They also contributed staff and volunteer time to organise and take part in the workshop. Their videographer also filmed the workshop. This footage alongside other material from the project was used for creating a short film about the workshop. The community researchers contributed their feedback and learning about listening to redevelopment , which has enhanced my findings about participatory listening as a tool for policy engagement. BHCLT has included my work in their public events regionally and nationally and therefore widened the audience for my methodological approach. |
| Impact | Listening to redevelopment at Circus Street film Listening to Circus Street Blog on Brighton & Community Land Trust website Listening to Circus Street in Brighton Blog on Creative Universities website |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Book launches: Sonic Rebellions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Over 50 people attended two book launches of Sonic Rebellions - Sound & Social Justice. I co-curated these two events: one at Rose Hill Brighton arts venue and one at London School of Economics. Both events included an authors panel, showcase of sound pieces, refreshments & networking. Attendees were a mix of general public, artists, researchers and post-graduates - many from from the Sonic Rebellions emerging international network. This disseminated my chapter in the book to a wider audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.wandacanton.co.uk/sonicrebellions/2024 |
| Description | Ecological Listening: The Ecomusicology Project presentation at Ecological Listening: From Sound Art to Action |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on participatory soundmapping and The Ecomusicology collaboration delivered to 25 sound art doctoral students and practitioners as part of the CHASE doctoral network on Aural Pluralities. This was an event on Ecological Listening: From Sound Art to Action. It showcased my methodological approach to a regional network as well as its collaborative application. It allowed me to engage with how my tools can be used in other disciplinary areas such as ecological action, biodiversity and the arts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.chase.ac.uk/events-1/auralpluralities-march |
| Description | Gentrification Interactive Listening Walk for Sonic Rebellions II |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 8 Conference participants took part in an Interactive Listening Walk (ILW) in Brighton based on my PhD findings. The event sparked reflections and discussions about urban seaside gentrification on the UK South Coast and how these neighbourhoods are changing. Participants fed-back that they had made new discoveries and learning about the neighbourhoods, listening, and the topic as well as benefitted from meaningful exchange with other participants. The group included artists, professionals, post-graduates and general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.wandacanton.co.uk/sonicrebellions/2024 |
| Description | Guest curation of The Listen Club#21 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 25 people attended the Listen Club#21 at The Rose Hill arts venue, for which I was invited to be a guest curator by Sound Art Brighton. I curated and presented a 11 track playlist that showcased my participatory listening research approach. The listening experience took participants on a journey through my methodological innovations and prompted discussion about different listening practices, field recordings, the role of sound art, seaside changes and gentrification. It therefore created a wider audience to disseminate my research findings and created new contacts and networks interested in future work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://soundartbrighton.com/projects/listen-club/ |
| Description | Listening to Circus Street Blog post on Brighton & Community Land Trust website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog post written about the participatory listening research workshop with the Who Owns Brighton? community researchers on the BHCLT website. It has been shared as part of the BHCLT findings dissemination, including to an international audience as part of an online webinar. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://bhclt.org.uk/listening-to-circus-street/ |
| Description | Listening to Circus Street in Brighton Blog on Creative Universities website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog post written about the participatory listening research workshop with the Who Owns Brighton? community researchers on the Creative Universities website. This was written as part of the BHCLT findings dissemination, on one of the working group member's website that has an international reach around the role of universities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.creativeuniversities.com/post/listening-to-circus-street-in-brighton |
| Description | Listening to redevelopment at Circus Street film |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A short film made about the participatory listening workshop delivered with the Who Owns Brighton community researchers from Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust. It showcases my methodology and how it can be used for different purposes i.e. with housing rights activists and campaign groups. It has been shared by the organisation as part of their dissemination of findings. I have so far shared it with postgraduates students whilst teaching as a showcase of engaged research practice, with potentially collaborators and with all those involved involved in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/1047534129 |
| Description | Participatory listening workshop with Who Owns Brighton? community researchers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 12 community researchers attended a participatory listening research day workshop to explore the case study redevelopment site of Circus Street in Brighton. They were supported in deep listening, silent listening explorations and capture of the site, soundmapping and reflective discussion. The workshop helped the community researchers reflect and further interpret the findings of their investigations into the site as well as produce creative artefact, soundmaps. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with wellbeing benefits included. This allowed my methodology to be tested out in a different setting and for a housing campaign group, thereby applying its potential for policy engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://bhclt.org.uk/listening-to-circus-street/ |
| Description | Public Health talk: Interdisciplinary approaches to listening |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 15 medical professionals and postgraduates attended a presentation on interdisciplinary approaches to listening as part of the Primary Care & Public Health Seminar, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex. The talk sparked in-depth discussion on the role of listening and sound in health and wellbeing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Series of Interactive Listening Walk events on urban seaside gentrification for community groups |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 15 community group members took part in Interactive Listening Walks (ILW) in Brighton based on my PhD findings. The events were created as bespoke for two community groups: a peer homelessness support group and a youth group for young people with additional education needs. The event sparked reflections and discussions about urban seaside gentrification on the UK South Coast and how these neighbourhoods are changing. Participants fed-back that they had made new discoveries and learning about the neighbourhoods, listening, and the topic as well as benefitted from meaningful exchange with other residents. The lead practitioners reported that is contributed to their group's wellbeing aims. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/922488985 |
| Description | Series of Interactive Listening Walk events on urban seaside gentrification for local policymakers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | 14 local policy-related professionals took part in an Interactive Listening Walk (ILW) in Brighton and East Worthing based on my PhD findings. This included councillors, council officers and voluntary sector leaders. The event sparked reflections and discussions about urban seaside gentrification on the UK South Coast and how these neighbourhoods are changing as well as planning systems and tools for public consultation. Participants fed-back that they had made new discoveries and learning about the neighbourhoods, listening, and the topic as well as benefitted from meaningful exchange with other professionals and learning about new tools. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Series of Interactive Listening Walk events on urban seaside gentrification for residents |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 21 local residents took part in an Interactive Listening Walk (ILW) in St Leonards and East Worthing based on my PhD findings. The event sparked reflections and discussions about urban seaside gentrification on the UK South Coast and how these neighbourhoods are changing. Participants fed-back that they had made new discoveries and learning about the neighbourhoods, listening, and the topic as well as benefitted from meaningful exchange with other residents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/917998113 |
| Description | Series of Interactive Listening Walk events on urban seaside gentrification for the public |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 30 people took part in an Interactive Listening Walk (ILW) in St Leonards, Brighton and East Worthing based on my PhD findings. These were mixed public events that included residents, councillors, council officers, artists, visitors, postgraduates, academics and voluntary sector leaders. The event sparked reflections and discussions about urban seaside gentrification on the UK South Coast and how these neighbourhoods are changing. Participants fed-back that they had made new discoveries and learning about the neighbourhoods, listening, and the topic as well as benefitted from meaningful exchange with a mixed group of people with different experiences of these neighbourhoods. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Series of blog posts on Participatory Soundmapping - plotting the sounds of The Ecomusicology Project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Two blog posts so far written on seasonal participatory soundmapping workshops published on The Ecomusicology Project (TEP) website. This shared the methodology to a wider audience, especially sound-based practitioners interested in ecological interventions. It also helps to showcase the work of TEP to their funders and other stakeholders as part of a record of their collaborative activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://ecomusicology.org.uk/blog/ |
| Description | Series of participatory soundmapping workshops for The Ecomusicology Project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 30 people have taken part in 3 participatory soundmapping workshop seasonally at The Ecomusicology Project. The workshops have involved deep listening, individual exploration of the sites and creatively soundmapping the plot. In depth discussion has been prompted on the sensory environmental relationships, and the role of listening/sound/music in ecological interventions. A collective soundmap has been crated that will be continued to added to. New people have been brought to the plot, widening TEP's reach. The workshops have showcased my methodological tools and helped me apply the approach to different settings and purposes, as part of the project's third objective. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://ecomusicology.org.uk/participatory-soundmapping/ |
| Description | Soundmapping artefacts from Covid-induced remote research - showcase at UK Participatory Research Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of my methodological approach to 30 researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students as part of the UK Participatory Research Network event in York. I showcased my approach and it sparked conversations about the role of creative methods and the degrees of participation within a participatory approach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |