Dr. Richard Smith an Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Social Work in Detroit, Michigan USA. He publishes on aspects of sustainable and socially just cities. He currently serves as a core advisor for the International Ecocity Standards and serves on the Focus:HOPE Hope Village Steering Committee. He has earned scholarly awards from the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare; Journal of Gerontological Social Work; Urban Affairs Association; the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration; the Society for Social Work and Research; and the Council on Social Work Education/SAGE Publishing. He studied at the University of California, Berkeley, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan. As a practitioner, he served at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; served in the U.S. Peace Corps – Mongolia training English teachers; managed the Spring English Language Center; and consulted for UNICEF and the World Bank/UNDP.