In recent times Brighton has become a city of importance for transgender and non-binary people in the UK, and the City Council have explicitly stated they have a trans-inclusive approach. My research seeks to firstly understand how these developments have influenced town planning practice, and secondly creatively explore how trans inhabitants experience the city. One theme that has emerged is the association for some trans inhabitants of green spaces on the urban fringe as being ‘freeing’. Joeseph stated ‘It can feel freeing to be in nature with no one else around. I feel like I can breathe properly. I feel open’. Previous research on LGBTQ city-space has emphasised the anonymity of the urban, in my research it is the urban-rural fringe where inhabitants can be free from the regulatory cis-gender gaze. The view from Tenantry Down has been an escape for my non-binary body throughout the PhD and the pandemic.

School of Humanities and Social Science

Lead supervisor: Jason Lim