Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Richard Smith, PhD is a Professor and Associate Dean for Research. He is using technology for social good, community and economic development, sustainability, urban policy, and social policy. In Detroit, he has been working with community-based organizations on Detroit's East Side to plan ways to mitigate basement flooding. In 2023, he completed the NSF Convergence Research Accelerator Boot Camp and Incubator at the University of California, San Diego where his team pitched a road flooding app that used large language models and machine learning to predict and communicate flood risk. Smith serves on the Hope Village Collaborative and the Urban Learning and Leadership Collaborative. His research has been published in the Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Policy Practice, International Journal of Social Welfare, Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, Social Work, Urban Studies, and others.
Research Projects:
- Recovering from Expected Flooding Under Residential Buildings (REFURB)
- Urban Learning Leadership Collaborative (ULLC)
- Water and Health Infrastructure, Resilience and Learning
- Aging in Place and Age-Friendly Communities
- Immigrant Friendly Communities
Website | Email | Phone: (313) 577-2262
Research Areas: Community Development, Community-Based Participatory Research, Environmental Justice, Geographic & Spatial Factors, Housing, Immigration, Urban Development,