Kazi Saiful Islam
Professor



Dr. Islam is a Professor of Urban and Rural Planning at Khulna University. He has received both Masters of Engineering and Doctor of Engineering degrees from the Department of Urban Engineering at the University of Tokyo, Japan. His research interest includes the application of quantitative geospatial methods to urban complexity. He is a certified geospatial educator.

Apart from being an academician, he is a prominent professional urban planner and geospatial expert. He has contributed to many vital projects in Bangladesh (in different capacities), like Dhaka Detailed Area Plan, Khulna Detailed Area Plan, Benapole-Jessore corridor project, etc.

Scan for Contact Details

Doctor of Engineering (Urban Engineering)                                                October 2007 – September 2010

The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

   Dissertation: Improvement of Hedonic Regression Based on Unknown Spatial Variable Search: A Heuristic Search Approach

   Awarded: 27 September 2010 

   Thematic Areas: Spatial Econometrics, Housing Market Segmentation, Spatial Statistics, GIS

Master of Engineering (Urban Engineering) — Research-Based                            April 2005 – March 2007

The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

   Dissertation: Household Mobility due to Income Disparity: A Threshold Perspective

   GPA: 4.00 / 4.00 (Distinction — all A grades)   |   Awarded: 22 March 2007

   Thematic Areas: Order Restricted Statistics, Housing Rent Modelling, Urban Poverty

Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning (BURP)                                                                        1997 – 2003

Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

   Dissertation: Spatial Distribution of Urban Poverty: A Study of Khulna City

   CGPA: 3.78 / 4.00 — 76.06% (Distinction)   |   Awarded: 15 January 2003

My general interests are in the area of application of quantitative geospatial methods in broader urban complexity. I am also interested about

  • Geographic Information System
  • Remote Sensing
  • Photogrammetry
  • Machine Learning in LULC modeling
  • Land use planning

ACADEMIC CAREER


Director, Planning and Development Division                                                       November 2024 – Present

Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

   Responsible for planning and execution of all development activities of Khulna University.

   Prepares and administers project proposals for national and international funding agencies.

   Serves as Secretary of the statutory Planning and Development Committee.

   Oversees procurement processes and maintains the University's academic and physical master plan.

Professor (Grade-2) of Urban and Regional Planning                                           November 2015 – Present

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

   Teaching advanced courses in GIS (fundamental and advanced), Remote Sensing, Urban Analysis Techniques, Housing, Statistics, Engineering Surveying, and Regional Planning at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

   Supervising MSc and undergraduate dissertation research in spatial sciences, urban planning, and housing studies.

   Developing and updating course packs and conducting professional development training for local government officials and NGO workers.

Head of the Discipline                                                                                      April 2019 – December 2021

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

   Provided strategic academic and administrative leadership to the discipline, advancing its research profile and programme quality.

   Represented the discipline on the School of Science, Engineering and Technology and the Board of Advanced Studies (BOAS).

   Chaired the Academic and Planning Committee; oversaw accreditation and quality-assurance processes.

   Developed governance structures for faculty management, student welfare, and external partnerships.

Associate Professor                                                                                       March 2011 – November 2015

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

Visiting Research Fellow                                                                                          2010 – 2011

Center for Spatial Information Science (CSIS), The University of Tokyo, Japan

   Engaged in research on urban residential mobility and spatial information science.

   Contributed to the Centre's research on land use harmonization.

   Provided academic mentorship to doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.

Collaborative Research Fellow                                                                           2007 – 2010

Center for Spatial Information Science (CSIS), The University of Tokyo, Japan

   Conducted research on urban residential mobility under Dr. Yasushi Asami.

   Delivered seminars on Spatial Statistics and Spatial Econometrics.

Assistant Professor                                                                                         December 2006 – March 2011

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

Assistant Proctor                                                                                                    June 2004 – March 2005

Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

Lecturer                                                                                                      December 2003 – December 2006

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh


SELECTED CONSULTANCY EXPERIENCE


Senior Urban Planner (November 2012)

Client: Khulna Development Authority (KDA), Khulna, Bangladesh

Brief of the project:  Preparation of Detailed Area Development Plan (DADP) for Khulna Master Plan (2001) Area funded by Khulna Development Authority and Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.



GIS Expert (February, 2015)
Client: Forest Department, Bangladesh
Brief of the project:  Sundarbans Environmental and Livelihoods Security (SEALS) project funded by European Union


GIS Expert (April, 2015)

Client: Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), Bangladesh

Brief of the project:  Preparation of Detailed Area Development Plan (2016-2035) for DMDP Area funded by RAJUK and Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.


Regional Planner (March, 2015)
Client: Urban Development Directorate (UDD), Bangladesh
Brief of the project:  Preparation of Development Plan for Benapole-Jessore Highway Corridor funded by Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.


No Data Available

Supervision

SL Title Degree Role Start Date End Date
No Supervision Available

No Data Available

coming soon...

Award-Winning Paper

Islam, Kazi Saiful, & Karim, Md. Rezaul (2004). Small-scale private real estate business — challenges to sustainable development: a case study of Khulna City, Bangladesh. 9th Annual Asian Real Estate Conference, New Delhi, India, 9–12 August 2004. [Best Paper Award — USD 1,000]

Book Chapters (International Publishers)

Islam, Kazi Saiful (2024). The price of a roof: how rental stress is fuelling hidden homelessness in Khulna City, Bangladesh. In Chatterjee, U., Sivaramakrishnan, L., Ghosh, R., Shaw, R., & Mukherjee, J. (Eds.), Homelessness to Hope: Research, Policy and Global Perspectives (pp. 171–185). Elsevier. ISBN: 978-0-443-14052-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-14052-5.00009-4

Islam, Kazi Saiful (2022). Environmental sensitivity of planning practices in Bangladesh vis-à-vis the evolution of planning theories: a case study on the thermal power plant at Rampal. In Hussain, A., Tiwari, K., & Gupta, A. (Eds.), Addressing Environmental Challenges Through Spatial Planning. IGI Global. ISBN: 9781799883319.

Murtaza, M. G., & Islam, Kazi Saiful (2004). Impact of the construction of Padma Bridge on the tourism industry of Bangladesh. In Karim, M. R. (Ed.), Dream of Padma Bridge and the Development of Southwestern Bangladesh (pp. 21–25). Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Biswas, N., Islam, K. S., Efty, E. A., Das, S., Pathan, A. M., & Ferdaus, R. (2026). Ensemble deep learning framework for landslide susceptibility mapping and road vulnerability index development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2026.2634207

Islam, S. M. T., & Islam, K. S. (2026). The impact of setbacks on solar access: a GIS-based shadow analysis in Khulna's neighbourhood. Discover Cities, 3, 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-025-00156-1

Islam, D., Li, B., Islam, K. S., Ahsan, R., Mia, R., & Haque, M. E. (2022). Airbnb rental price modelling based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation and MESF-XGBoost composite model. Machine Learning with Applications, 7, 100208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mlwa.2021.100208

Hasan, M. Z., Leya, R. S., & Islam, K. S. (2022). Comparative assessment of machine learning algorithms for land use and land cover classification using multispectral remote sensing image. Khulna University Studies, Special Issue, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2022.ICSTEM4IR.0124-se

Rahman, M. A., Islam, K. S., Siam, S. I., & Islam, S. (2022). Spatiotemporal change of land use land cover: a case study of Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Khulna University Studies, Special Issue, 233–243. https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2022.ICSTEM4IR.0017-se

Rakibuzzaman, M., & Islam, K. S. (2022). A narrative review of the use of fractal geometry in various aspects of urban planning. Khulna University Studies, Special Issue, 219–232. https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2022.ICSTEM4IR.0011-se

Islam, M. D., Islam, K. S., Ahsan, R., Mia, R., & Haque, M. D. (2021). A data-driven machine learning-based approach for urban land cover change modelling: a case of Khulna City Corporation area. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 24, 100634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2021.100634

Mia, M. R., Islam, K. S., & Islam, M. D. (2021). Automatic building footprint extraction from high-resolution stereo satellite image. Planplus: A Journal of Planning, Development, Urbanization and Environment, 11, 17–28. https://doi.org/10.54470/planplus.v11i1.2

Hussain, F., & Islam, K. S. (2021). Classification of cities based on land use land cover heterogeneity: a case study of Bangladesh. Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, 13, 1–16.

Saha, A., & Islam, K. S. (2020). Assessing the impact of Cyclone Sidr and Aila on the Sundarbans and its current recovery status using remotely sensed imagery. Khulna University Studies, 16(1 & 2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2019.16.1&2.6.1810-E&T

Howlader, A. S., & Islam, K. S. (2020). Nexus between light pollution and air temperature: a study of Bangladesh. Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, 11, 1–9.

Tabassum, F., Morshed, M. M., Sydunnaher, S., & Islam, K. S. (2019). Are we undercounting poverty? Targeting poor for development intervention in Khulna City. Planplus: A Journal of Planning, Development, Urbanization and Environment, 9, 1–16.

Saikat, S. S., & Islam, K. S. (2019). Modelling land use land cover (LULC) change using cellular automata–Markov model: a case of Khulna City, Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University Planning Review, 17, 17–31.

Sydunnaher, S., Islam, K. S., & Morshed, M. M. (2018). Spatiality of a multidimensional poverty index: a case study of Khulna City, Bangladesh. GeoJournal, 84, 1403–1416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-018-9941-9

Siddque, M. N. I., Islam, K. S., & Habib, M. (2018). Practice of higher education pedagogy in Bangladesh: opportunities and challenges. Bangladesh Journal of Extension Education, 30(2), 71–78.

Sydunnaher, S., Islam, K. S., & Jebunnessa (2018). Slum dwellers' understanding of their rights and accessibility to public services: a case study of Khulna City. The Jahangirnagar Review, Part II: Social Science, XXXIX, 159–167.

Rehan, S. M. T. I., & Islam, K. S. (2015). Analysis of building shadow in urban planning: a review. Jahangirnagar University Planning Review, 16, 11–22.

Islam, M. S., & Islam, K. S. (2013). Application of thermal infrared remote sensing to explore the relationship between land use–land cover changes and urban heat island effect: a case study of Khulna City. Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, 6, 49–60.

Islam, K. S., & Swapan, S. H. (2013). Impact of volatile industrialisation on urbanisation and internal city structure: a study of Khulna City, Bangladesh. Planplus, 6, 81–96.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2012). Influence of poverty on internal household mobility pattern of a city: a case study of Khulna City, Bangladesh. Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, 5, 37–57.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2011). Addressing structural instability in housing market segmentation of the used houses of Tokyo, Japan. Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences, 21, 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.07.021

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2009). Housing market segmentation: a review. Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 21(2–3), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-940X.2009.00161.x

Islam, K. S. (2009). Challenges of urban planning at the face of counter-urbanisation. Theoretical and Empirical Research in Urban Management, 2(11).

Swapan, S. H., Islam, K. S., & Ahmed, S. (2006). Spatial dimension of urban poverty. Planplus, 4, 119–135.

Islam, K. S., & Karim, R. (2006). The impact of the small-scale real estate business on the urbanisation patterns of third world cities. RICS Research Paper Series, 6(3). Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, London.

Islam, K. S., & Akther, M. S. (2006). City structure models and location of lower income settlements: the context of Khulna City, Bangladesh. International Symposium on Urban Planning 2006, Taipei, Taiwan, 13–30.

Islam, K. S., & Rahman, K. R. (2003). Effects of the increase of two-stroke three-wheelers on the urbanisation pattern of Khulna City, Bangladesh. JPWK — Journal of Urban and Regional Planning, 14(2), 39–48.

Karim, R., & Islam, K. S. (2003). Shrimp culture around the Sundarbans and its effects on land agriculture, livestock and poultry. In The Sundarbans: The Largest Mangrove Forest of the Earth (pp. 18–24). Khulna University.

Keynote Addresses

Islam, Kazi Saiful (2024, 26–27 June). Thematic Session 4: Innovations and Smart Cities. Urban Resilience Forum, BICC, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Islam, Kazi Saiful (2023, 23–25 September). Translating global climate change commitments into local action through spatial planning. Third International Conference on Urban and Regional Planning (ICURP 2023), Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Conference Papers

Hosen, K., & Islam, K. S. (2019). Simulating the impact of setback, floor area ratio (FAR) and maximum ground coverage (MGC) rules on urban living environment: an airflow modelling perspective. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Dhaka, 5–6 October 2019, pp. 53–62.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2011). Addressing structural instability in housing market segmentation of the used houses of Tokyo, Japan. STGIS 2011 — International Conference on Spatial Thinking and Geographic Information Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Islam, K. S. (2009). Housing market segmentation: spatial variable search perspective. S4 International Conference on Emergence in Geographical Space: Concepts, Methods and Models, Paris, France, 23–25 November 2009.

Islam, K. S. (2009). Urban sustainability in a declining era: challenges and response. CIB-W101 & University of Tokyo GCOE Workshop, Tokyo, Japan, 21 June 2009.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2008). Neighbourhood mobility due to poverty: a threshold perspective. ACSP–AESOP Joint Congress, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 6–11 July 2008.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2008). Review of literature and future research direction: housing market segmentation perspective. 10th Summer Institute, Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 15–16 May 2008.

Islam, K. S., & Hasan, M. U. (2007). Addressing the issue of rural land use in disaster management policy: a case study of southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh. First International Conference of Bangladesh Regional Science Association, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 17–18 March 2007.

Islam, K. S., & Asami, Y. (2007). Neighbourhood mobility due to poverty: a threshold perspective. UPE 7 — 7th International Conference on Urban Planning and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand, 3–5 January 2007.

Islam, K. S., & Akther, M. S. (2006). City structure models and location of lower income settlements. International Symposium on Urban Planning 2006, Taipei, Taiwan.

Siddque, N. I., & Islam, K. S. (2013). Enrolment trend of Khulna University: regionalisation? An analysis based on students' place of origin. International Conference on Academic Enhancement, 18 June 2013, pp. 43–54.

Poster Presentations

Islam, K. S., Portugal, J., Blakeney, J., & Sangsanont, J. (2010). Perspectives on CSR in Japan. Coca-Cola Young Environmental Leaders Summit 2010, Hokkaido, Japan, 19–23 August 2010.

Islam, K. S. (2009). Livelihoods of the southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh: vulnerable to climatic change and natural disaster. 5th Urban Research Symposium on Cities and Climate Change, Marseille, France, 28–30 June 2009.

Urban Analysis Technique

Planning is all about analyzing data to extract information for decision-making. This course will pave the way to enable students to analyze landuse, land value, urban character, demography etc. 

Urban Analysis Technique (FW/Studio)

This is the sessional part of URP 2221. 

Geographic Information System

Planning involves data collection, analysis, and decision-making. Since “physical determinism” is still considered as one of the major determinants of planning, geospatial data plays a vital role in physical planning.  For production, analysis and decision making, planners need to know about Geographic Information System (GIS).

The course is designed to familiarize students with the concept of geographic data and GIS, process of inputting geo-data, storage and management of data and modelling, application of GIS in the real-world studies. Lectures cover the basics of GIS, vector and raster data models, geographic data analysis, visualization techniques and geographic overlay. Importantly, the focus of this course is in the application of GIS to solving real world problems.

Geographic Information System (Lab/Studio)

This is the sessional part of URP 2261.

Remote sensing and Photogrammetry

Modern planners need to deal with huge amount of spatial data. Production of these data is often expensive and time consuming. Using remotely sensed images we can acquire data of large areas. Therefore this course offers remote sensing techniques and photogrammetry as the part of decision support system for planning. This course will be conducted simultaneously with the sessional part.

Remote sensing and Photogrammetry (Lab/Studio)

This is the sessional part of URP 3261. 

Statistics for Planners

Description:  Basics of statistics, Qualitative and Quantitative methods of statistics, Sampling techniques, sample size and sample analysis, Basic concepts of probability, Normal probability distributions, Basics of Hypothesis Testing, Inferences from two samples, Goodness-of-Fit, Contingency tables, Chi-square tests, ANOVA, Correlation and Regression.

 

Rationale: Statistics is a basic tool of analysis able to effectively conduct research. It is concerned with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, as well as the effective communication and presentation of results relying on data. It is extremely important for a researcher to know what statistics they want to use before they collect their data. Otherwise data might be collected that is uninterruptable. To do well in statistics one must develop and use formal logical thinking abilities that are both high level and creative. To study statistics are to be able to effectively conduct research, to be able to read and evaluate journal articles, to further develop critical thinking and analytic skills.

 

Course Objectives:

·         Motivate in students an intrinsic interest in statistical thinking.

·         Instill the belief that Statistics is important for scientific research.

·         Provide a foundation and motivation for exposure to statistical ideas subsequent to the course.


Learning outcomes:

Demonstrate the ability to apply fundamental concepts in exploratory data analysis.

Design studies for obtaining data whilst avoiding common design flaws that incur bias, inefficiency and confounding.

Demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of probability and random variables 

Interpret and analyze classical inference involving confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, data displayed in a two-way table, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Apply and interpret basic of modeling techniques for bi-variate data and use inferential methods in the context of simple linear models with normally distributed errors.






Statistics for Planners

Aims:

This course aims to introduce the basics of Statistics. It discusses the importance of statistics in planning and urgency of statistics in every sphere of planning. This course mainly focuses on data collection methods, data processing, data analyzing tool and interpreting those data in order make decision.

 

 

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are as follows:

·         To understand the meaning of statistics, data, variable and information

·         To explain the division of statistics with respect to different kinds of data

·         To interpret ideas of population versus sample, random variables, and techniques of descriptive statistics

·         To calculate and interpret measures of central tendency and dispersion, including mean, median, standard deviation, and quartiles

·         To demonstrate skills in revealing the characteristics of normal distributions.

·         To describe and identify the characteristics of different numerical distributions.

·         To explain the relevance of statistics in different kinds of planning activities.

 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

At the end of the course the students will be able to-

·         Demonstrate the basic principles of describing and presenting data;

·         Explain the role of statistics in different brunches of urban planning;

·         Describe and compute different measures of central tendencies and dispersion. 

Statistics for Planners -II

Planners need statistics for decision making. Along with previous course (URP 1251: Statistics for Planners - I), this course is aimed at enabling students with greater quantitative decision making. The course is designed for the Second year students of Urban and Rural Planning Discipline. This course is designed to introduce student to the concepts of statistics and enable them with skills that they can use in their daily life.

 

Students should have basic knowledge about elementary mathematics. It is also assumed that the students have basic web browsing ability and should be able to deal with some softwares like MS Office suits. 


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

After completion of the course, students are expected -

1.     to recognize, examine, and interpret the basic principles of indexing multivariate data;

2.     to acquire critical thinking skills including analysis and application in the field of Urban and Rural Planning.

3.     to apply probability and hypothesis tests in solving planning related problems.

4.     to perform and interpret simple univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical procedures using computer software.

Running

Quantitative Methods, Analysis & Techniques

Statistics is a major stream of knowledge that is used by planners to extract information from data and make decision out of it. Statistics is concerned with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, as well as the effective communication and presentation of results. To do well in statistics one must develop and use formal logical thinking abilities.

. This course is developed assuming that the student have completed the MURP 5151 course. It is assumed that the students have prior knowledge about undergraduate level statistics. Students should also have basic knowledge about elementary mathematics.

In reality, most of the data that we use are multivariate in nature. The course will introduce a number of techniques (including both generalization of univariate methods and continuous multivariate data) that the student will be able to use in decision-making. This course will introduce not only theoretical aspect of statistics but also its application.

Learning Outcome

Overall aim of the course is to familiarize students with the ideas and methodology of certain multivariate methods together with their application in data analysis. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to -

1. Derive key properties of the multivariate normal distribution and apply these to the analysis of multivariate data.

2. Use contingency tables to test hypotheses and estimate effect sizes for a variety of multivariate models.

3. Apply planning statistical analysis in support of planning problem analysis.

4. Develop critical thinking skills necessary to compete in the planning profession.

  • Urban Analysis Technique
  • Urban Analysis Technique (FW/Studio)
  • Geographic Information System
  • Geographic Information System (Lab/Studio)
  • Remote sensing and Photogrammetry
  • Remote sensing and Photogrammetry (Lab/Studio)
  • Statistics for Planners
  • Statistics for Planners
  • Statistics for Planners -II
  • Quantitative Methods, Analysis & Techniques