Mizuki KAWABATA Associate Professor (2005-)
Further information available at http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~mizuki/
Socioeconomic Issues Relating to Urban and Regional Space
Socioeconomic issues are often closely related to spatial structure. Therefore, I have been using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial information to examine socioeconomic issues relating to urban and regional spatial structure. Specific topics examined include urban spatial structure from a viewpoint of residence and workplace, geographical inequality in job accessibility, spatial mismatch, relationship between job accessibility and employment, disparity between accessibility and commuting of cars and that of public transit, and degrees of auto-orientation in urban structure. Of late, I have been particularly interested in issues pertaining to aging population combined with falling birthrates. Currently, I am examining topics such as the spatial mismatch of childcare and urban inhabitation and travel of the elderly people.
GIS Application and Education
Developing the use of GIS and human resources for GIS has become increasingly important. Recent articles in Nature (2004, Vol.427) indicate that since geospatial technology is an emerging and evolving field, the demand for GIS professionals is burgeoning. Another recent article in Science (2006, Vol. 312) points out that GIS pushes at the frontiers of social sciences, but GIS adoption has yet to approach their potential. One of my research interests is in GIS application and education. Thus far, I have examined GIS textbooks, GIS education programs, and multi-disciplinary cooperation in GIS education in the US, a leading country of GIS education. In the years ahead, I plan to research GIS application and education for urban economics and urban policy.
Note: Feel free to contact me if you are interested in collaborative research.