Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction
Hiroi - Kasuga - Otsuyama Laboratory

Risk assessment and behavior simulation for disaster risk reduction

Research Interest: Formation of Safer Urban Space
We are conducting a wide variety of research centering on the theme of "urban disaster risk reduction."
What is the goal of the city's "safety" function, and who evaluates it? And how do we balance that with other urban features such as convenience and comfortability? Our laboratory is researching the system design and planning that provide clues to these issues from the perspective of urban and community planning. We use a variety of research methodologies, including field surveys in disaster impacted areas, questionnaire surveys, disaggregate models, OR, Bayesian statistics, machine learning, simulations, and developing workshop tools. Our goal is not only for developing models and visualization of risks, but also implementation in society through the research process such as collecting original data, constructing our own theories, and disseminating research outputs.

Metagenomic analysis of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater in Vietnam
The health risk posed by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB), which is regarded as a silent pandemic, is a global concern. To control ARB, the perspective of One Health that integrates health of humans, domestic animals, and the environment is important. However, the surveillance of the environmental health has not been established yet. In urban area in developing countries, untreated sewage is discharged into the environment, leading to the spread of ARB. We analyze diverse ARB in water environment and sewage by comprehensive and high-throughput molecular methods to monitor urban public health status and to study the mitigation of ARB risk.