02 | URBAN MICROBIOME

Towards Cities in Harmony with Invisible Life

— Rethinking Urban Planning through the Integration of Urban Engineering and Microbiology —

Research Vision

Cities are home not only to people, buildings, and infrastructure but also to vast communities of invisible microorganisms. How are the distribution and diversity of these microorganisms related to urban environments? By integrating urban engineering and microbiology, we seek to uncover the relationships between urban spaces and microbial communities, offering a new perspective on how we understand and plan cities.
We combine microbial data obtained through DNA analysis with urban spatial data, including land use, green spaces, building configurations, and human activities, to examine how urban environments influence microbial distribution and diversity. We are also expanding our research to include environmental DNA analysis of urban wildlife and comparative studies across cities. Through these efforts, we aim to establish invisible biological environments as a new dimension of urban planning assessment, contributing to sustainable urban planning and design that consider both human health and ecosystem well-being.

Research Fields & Activities