Miwa Matsuo, assistant professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, is investigating transportation and land-use relationships—particularly how accessibility affects business location and productivity.

In many metropolitan areas, enterprises cluster in heavily congested suburbs that are difficult to reach without a car. Matsuo’s previous research indicates that accessibility of workers is an issue for the businesses. She’s interested in discovering the hidden attractiveness of such locations and looking into how sustainable they are, environmentally or socially.

At Harvard University, Matsuo earned a doctor of design degree and a master’s in design studies with a concentration in real estate and urban development. She earned engineering and environmental studies degrees in Tokyo, Japan. Matsuo joined the UI faculty in 2009.

“The School of Urban and Regional Planning is a small and friendly working environment,” Matsuo said. “The faculty and staff are very supportive and cheerful. My colleagues and I frankly discuss our research and teaching plans, which stimulates my research mind.”