metabo.locity is an interactive forum that takes you up close and behind the scenes of the Urban Sustainability Research Group.  We are a group of diverse backgrounds and interests, yet we share a unifying thread: a focus on urban settings as fabulously complex nodes of nature-society interactions and as critical leverage points for sustainability transitions.

Cities house, employ, and supply material goods to over half of the world’s population! (United Nations) What is your favorite city and why?

Meet the bloggers:

Josh C. is a PhD student with research interests in sustainable urban redevelopment projects and the dynamics that shape urban environments over time. Josh is enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, running, basketball, and eating good food.

Josh N. is an assistant professor at SNRE. Trained as a geographer, his research grapples with how to define, measure, model, and assess urban sustainability, particularly from intertwined perspectives of consumption, material use, and equity. A fun fact about Josh is that he did not live in the same house or apartment for more than one year until he was 26 years old.

Mariel is the official metabolocity blog master. She is an M.S. student interested in human-environment interactions, particularly around food. She is also interested in behavior change toward self-sufficient and resilient communities. Mariel is currently dabbling in veganism, modern dance, hooping, and stand-up paddleboarding, in addition to honing her urban gardening skills.

Paul is a M.S. student interested in how metropolitan communities coordinate site-level environmental projects to meet regional sustainability targets. In his spare time, Paul is a committed DIYer, photographer, and beginning woodworker.

Sara is a Ph.D. student with research interests including modes of governance and policies to improve urban energy systems and resilience to climate change, particularly in cities in emerging economies. Over the last five years Sara has lived in seven different cities on three continents.

Thanks for visiting! Now that you know what we are all about, we hope you’ll check back often.