Born in 1958 and grew up in Okazaki City in Aichi Prefecture. While I was already interested in architecture at junior high school, I became more interested in the close connection between space and people/society when studying architecture at university. I have since continued to pursue research themes relating to “housing.” I withdrew from the Ph.D. program in architecture at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University after earning all required credits in 1990, and joined Ichiura Housing & Planning Associates Co., Ltd. where I worked on drawing up housing master plans and living environment improvement plans for densely built-up areas. I am qualified as a first-class registered architect and professional engineer (urban and regional planning). I took the post of professor at the College of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University in 2004. While I will retire as professor at the end of AY2023, I will remain in the faculty as a specially-appointed professor.

My research interest lies in all issues relating to “housing,” from housing policy to residential area planning, as well as living environment planning. From the perspective of sustainable urban environment development, I am currently developing a vision for urban structure and considering the basic structure of the vacant housing problem amid the decline of suburban residential areas, and the revival of urban centers as cities shrink due to the decreasing number of households. I have also taken part in various community development activities, recently working with the Pontocho and Rissei Machizukuri Conferences. In AY2021, I served as a visiting professor at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, and have since been studying the housing policy and slum environment improvement project of Thailand.

I think urban and living environment planning is an academic discipline that combines spatial studies and social science, and want students to enjoy studying the discipline. The study of urban and living environment planning starts with observing a community. Therefore, I welcome students who like walking around and watching a community, and who have a passion, or at least some interest, in living environment planning.

Housing, living environment planning, urban landscape, asbestos, improving slums in Thailand