Karen C. Seto
Associate Professor of the Urban EnvironmentDegrees
B.A. University of California, Santa Barbara
M.A., Ph.D. Boston University
About
Professor Seto‘s research is on the dynamics of urban land-use change. In particular, her work focuses on four broad themes: 1) Monitoring and measuring urban form and growth patterns; 2) Identifying and comparing the drivers of urban growth; 3) Analyzing the environmental impacts of urban land-use change; and 4) Forecasting urban growth.
A geographer by training, she uses a combination of satellite remote sensing, socioeconomic and biophysical data, in-person field interviews, and a range of statistical and computational models to gain insight on the patterns and processes of urban land-use change. Her geographic region of specialization is China where she has worked on urban development issues for more than ten years. More recently, she has had research projects in India, Vietnam, Qatar, and the US.
Professor Seto is Co-Chair of the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change Project of the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP), and Global Thematic Leader on Ecosystem Management Tools for the Commission on Ecosystem Management of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She is the Executive Producer of “10,000 Shovels: Rapid Urban Growth in China,” a short documentary film that highlights the urban changes occurring in South China. Professor Seto is a recipient of the NASA New Investigator Program Award, the NSF Career Award, and a National Geographic Research Grant.
