Jonathan Metzger

We all live our lives in material surroundings that constitute the frames of our lived experience. Different types of built structures make up the living environments that contribute to forming general habits and patterns of behavior in society.
Decisions regarding how to design and develop our material living environments are therefore of paramount importance to all humans, but also to members of other species of animals and plants that directly and indirectly are affected by human action.

Jonathan Metzger’s research focuses on the decision processes regarding the design and development of the built environment. In his work he investigates the grounds upon which these life-affecting and society-forming decisions are made, and who has influence over them.

The ultimate purpose of Jonathan’s research is to produce a better understanding of what knowledge, values and priorities should form the foundation of such decisions. He wants to contribute to an enhanced understanding of the consequences of different decisions, and how they differentially affect disparate groups in society.

Influence and power are recurrent themes in Jonathan’s research, as well as questions regarding the motivations and interests of the different actors that both cooperate and compete in environmental development processes.

Improved knowledge regarding these priorities and decisions is of crucial importance to improve our understanding of the forces that critically affect our society’s material foundations, and how the development of these structures can be shifted in a more sustainable direction.