2. Different Ways of Representing Places
Key Idea 2.b:Places are represented through a variety of contrasting formal and informal agencies.
Learning Objectives:
To determine what is meant by a formal agency.
To assess how a place can be represented differently by formal and informal agencies.
To assess the advantages and disadvantages of formal representations of a place.

3. Starter: What is Brighton geographically like?
What information do we need to know to answer this question?
Where do we find this information?
ONS - census
The census is an example of a formal agency. It is carried every 10 years and the data is often spatial. It is essential for government planning and allocation of resources.
So lets find out by using the census what Brighton is geographically like. Other formal agencies include geospatial data e.g. Environment Agency/ Crime statistics
Ethnic mix
Gender profile
Age-sex profile
Health/life expectancy
Socio-economic profile/wealth
Crime data
House prices
% Housing tenure
Job types
% unemployed
% A*-C GCSE
Deprivation index

4. Formal representations of Brighton

5. Formal representations of Brighton

6. Formal representations of Brighton

8. How do formal agencies represent Brighton?
Tasks:
Go to the Nomis website and find official labour market statistics for Brighton.
Use census data from nomisweb to look at other formal representations.
Describe Brighton’s profile based on this evidence. For example, is Brighton wealthy, healthy, well educated, etc.?
Do these statistics suggest Brighton is a rural or urban place?
Does this evidence support or contradict your informal representation of Brighton?
Do the formal and informal representations match in any way?

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of formal agencies of representing a place.
Representation is based on evidence.
It is objective (no emotion).
It is accurate and up-to-date as census conducted every 10 years.
Disadvantages:
Tells us nothing of the issues/challenges facing Brighton e.g. homelessness.
Tells us nothing about Brighton e.g. the fact that it has the highest density of vegetarian restaurants than anywhere else in the UK OR about the landscape (pebble beach) OR historic landmarks e.g. Pavilion Pier OR the sustainable community “New England Quarter”.
**All of these portray an “alternative “ lifestyle – you don’t get this from the census.
** Also what about the past connections of Brighton that shape it??

10. Summary: Places can be represented in formal and informal ways
More data about places is now collected, stored and analyses than has ever been the case.
In many countries, the most effective formal representation of places are their censuses.
There has also been an increase in the quantity and quality of geospatial data accessible to the general public. Many government agencies maintain websites which present formal representations of places e.g. The EA produces maps showing risks of flooding.
Formal representations offer rational perspectives, such as numbers of people living in a place, their age, gender and educational qualifications.
They are limited in their ability to indicate aspects of a place profile as how people live their lives.
Informal representations offer subjective views of a place – they mean different things to different people in different times and different places.
They too are limited in terms of representing places.

11. Conclusion
Most people get a “sense of place” from both informal and formal representations.
Both are equally important in shaping a place’s identity; influencing peoples’ perceptions of the place and representing a place.
Because informal representations are subjective, it can cause conflict and contradict formal representations.
So …. 2 people from Brighton can have very different perceptions of it. It can mean different things to different people.