Associate Professor, Tottori University of Environmental Studies
Contact
1-1-1 Wakabadai-kita, Tottori, Tottori Prefecture 689-1111, JAPAN
+81 857 38 6771
skato1314@gmail.com
Profile
I earned my Ph.D. in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, U.S.A. My research expertise includes ecological planning, landscape planning, landscape architecture, and landscape ecology. The focus of my work is the integration of landscape ecology principles and theories into landscape planning and design. This is particularly evident in my research on greenspace conservation planning in urban and regional settings.
My strengths lie in my strong ecological background, which includes forest ecology, conservation ecology, and various other ecological fields studied during my undergraduate years, coupled with an advanced understanding of landscape ecology acquired at the graduate level. In addition, my skills extend to design and planning, having studied landscape architecture and urban design at the master's level and urban planning at the doctoral level. This interdisciplinary academic foundation provides me with the expertise necessary to conduct research in ecological planning, particularly at regional and watershed scales.
Research keywords: ecological planning, nature-based solutions (NBS), green infrastructure, social-ecological-technological systems (SETS), resilience
A sustainable future city with diverse types of green infrastructure such as urban farms, rooftop gardens, and rain gardens (created by DALL-E)
Skills
GIS
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Canva
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R
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Zoom
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Languages
English
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Indonesian
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Spanish
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Latest News
Early August, 2025—End of the first semester (FY 2025)—busy grading 70 four-page research papers now; I want TAs!
- Taught 4 classes: Ecological planning in urban areas, active learning course, third-year seminar, thesis-writing seminar for the fourth-year students
- Supervised 7 fourth-year students on their thesis research
- Supervised 7 third-year students
April, 2025—Beginning of the academic year (FY 2025)
- Supervising 7 third-year and 7 fourth-year students
- Supervising 7 undergraduate theses
March, 2025—End of the academic year (FY 2024)
- Supervised 14 undergraduate students
- Supervised 7 undergraduate theses
- Supervised one master student and the thesis
- Two undergraduate students received an award for outstanding academic achievement
Publication
Recent refereed papers and book chapters are listed below.
- Sadahisa Kato, Akari Motobe (2024) Landscape metric sensitivity to grain size in rural Japan. Landscape and Ecological Engineering 20, 285-298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-024-00611-y
- Yusuke Ueno, Sadahisa Kato (corresponding author), Tomoka Mase, Yoji Funamoto, Keiichi Hasegawa (2022) Human Flow Dataset Reveals Changes in Citizens’ Outing Behaviors including Greenspace Visits before and during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kanazawa, Japan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(14), 8728-8728
- Sadahisa Kato, Wanhui Huang (2021) Land use management recommendations for reducing the risk of downstream flooding based on a land use change analysis and the concept of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. Journal of Environmental Management 287, 112341. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112341
- Sadahisa Kato (2021) Green Infrastructure Planning for Asian Cities: The Planning Strategies, Guidelines, and Recommendations. In: Ito, Keitaro (Ed.), Urban Biodiversity and Ecological Design for Sustainable Cities, pp. 353-371. Springer, Tokyo. DOI: 10.1007/978-4-431-56856-8_16
In my academic career, I have contributed significantly to research, as evidenced by my authorship in numerous peer-reviewed papers. Specifically, I have co-authored many papers where I am listed as either the first or the second author. This demonstrates my active role in the research and writing process, often leading the study or closely collaborating with the primary author.
See below for a more complete list.
About the university
Tottori University of Environmental Studies is a small public university in the western part of Honshu, Japan's main island. It is like a liberal arts college in the USA with only two departments and one master's program. The university admits 300 undergraduate students each year (the Faculty of Environmental Studies admits only 150 students). As a result, I primarily collaborate with other researchers to write papers, rather than working with Ph.D. students and post-doctoral fellows, which is more common among professors at larger universities. I just graduated a master student. I have room for more graduate student supervision.
For prospective students
If you’re passionate about graduate study and looking for a mentor who prioritizes research interests and personal development, I encourage you to apply. While the reputation of the university is important, at the graduate level, the synergy between your research interests and your advisor's expertise is critical. As a professor with a current opening for graduate students, I’m eager to support and mentor more scholars. Join our team where your academic growth and research goals will be our primary focus. I look forward to receiving your application and exploring the potential of our collaboration.
I’m accepting master's degree students under the Tottori University of Environmental Studies. I can also accept doctoral students under a united graduate school system (Please apply through The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University).
Research Grants
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) (Scientific Research (C))
April 2024 - Present
- Project title: Conservation and utilization of Balinese outer garden Telajakan: A comprehensive analysis towards sustainable tourism industry development
- Received a major government research grant! 4,680,000 Yen (30,000 USD) for a three-year research period.
- Role: PI
Grant for Environmental Research Projects, The Sumitomo Foundation
November 2023 - November 2025
- Rural sustainability: Quantitative assessment of management workloads and ecosystem services and analysis of future scenarios
- Role: PI (1,300,000 Yen)
- Adoption rate was 10.5% (Very competitive).
- Use strong verbs to describe your responsibilities.
- Keep your description to three or four main points.
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) (Scientific Research (C))
April 2020 - March 2025
- A social-ecological study of the traditional greenspace Telajakan that remains in the face of urbanization and tourism in Bali
- Role: PI
- For Japanese researchers, obtaining this national government grant is a hallmark of “good” research.
- 4,160,000 Yen (28,800 USD) for a three-year research period
Education
University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Ph.D., Regional Planning (Ecological Planning)
2010
- Greenspace Conservation Planning Framework for Urban Regions Based on a Forest Bird-Habitat Relationship Study and the Resilience Thinking. Open Access Dissertations. 212.
- Dissertation committee: Jack Ahern (Chair), Richard Taupier, and Kevin McGarigal
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA
Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
2003
- Revealing the Japanese garden : a cross-cultural analysis of the design of four representative Kamakura and Muromachi period Zen temple gardens. Thesis (MLA).
- EDAW (AECOM’s legacy company) Summer Student Program 2002 intern
- Landscape architecture and urban design
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA
BS with Distinction, GPA 3.64
1996
- Major: Resource Ecology and Management
- First Japanese undergraduate student to graduate from the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE)
Courses
- 3D Modelling
- Animation
- Advertising and Graphics
Achievements
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References
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