Hanae is a doctoral student in Urban and Regional Planning at Taubman College, University of Michigan. She is also a member of the Informal Sustainability Lab. Her research looks at urban informality at the intersection of gender, space, and place. She is interested in understanding the social impacts of urban development in the urban Global South. Hanae was born in Japan and grew up in Ghana, Bangladesh, and the UK.

Hanae’s recent research project aimed to uncover the assemblages of informal housing. Visiting informal settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the study explored aspects of morphogenesis, materiality, process, and socio-political environment entailed in the construction and modification of housing.

Hanae holds an M.A. in Urban Design and Planning from the University of Sheffield with Distinction where she was also awarded the ADH Crook Prize for Contributions Towards Social Justice in Planning.