Yoshitsugu Hayashi is a distinguished scholar and leader in transport research, urban planning and sustainability. He currently serves as a full member of the Executive Committee of The Club of Rome and President of The Japanese Association of The Club of Rome as well as Professor Emeritus at Nagoya University and Distinguished Professor at Tokai Gakuen University.
Hayashi’s career spans both academic and international leadership. He has held key roles including board member and former president (2013–2019) of the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS), President of the International Society for Systems Management and Director of the Chubu Branch of the Engineering Academy of Japan. He is also Chairman of the NPO “From Chita to the World,” Outside Director of OSG Corporation and Councilor for several major research and industry organisations. He has served as Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds and the University of Dortmund, and as a consultant to Toyota Motor Corporation for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Throughout his academic tenure, Hayashi has mentored numerous leaders in government, academia, and industry, both in Japan and internationally. His research has driven major projects such as the JICA/JST SATREPS “Smart Transport Strategy for Thailand 4.0 Realisation,” the JST e-Asia “Airport Smart City” initiative, and high-speed rail studies for the Asian Development Bank Institute. He also established and chairs the COVID-19 Taskforce of the World Conference on Transport Research Society, leading global research on the pandemic’s impact on transportation.
Hayashi’s work has shaped policy and practice in resilient urban design, sustainable transport and quality of life assessment. He has pioneered methodologies that integrate individual quality of life improvements into infrastructure planning, fundamentally reforming traditional cost-benefit analysis. His leadership in projects such as the introduction of urban railways in Bangkok and the evaluation of major Japanese infrastructure projects has informed national and international policy decisions.
He is the author of approximately 50 books and over 250 academic papers including “Balancing Nature and Civilization,” “Disaster Resilient Cities” and “Transportation amid Pandemics.” His contributions have been recognised with 21 awards, including the Minister of the Environment Commendation and multiple academic prizes.
