Kevin T. Smiley

I am a social scientist who studies how social inequalities intertwine with urban environments, often through the three main areas below.

I research on disaster vulnerability and resilience, especially relating to Hurricane Harvey where I examine how racial inequalities in flooding relate to urban landscapes changes and floodplain management.

I conduct research comparing and contrasting urban visions for cities, such as in my book Market Cities, People Cities (NYU Press) about Copenhagen, Denmark and Houston, Texas.

I also carry out environmental justice research on inequalities in exposure to air pollution, and focus particularly on the large disparities across urban areas in the United States.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Louisiana State University. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor in Sociology at SUNY-Buffalo. I received a PhD in Sociology from Rice University in 2017, a MA in sociology from the University of Memphis in 2012, and a BA in sociology and history from Western Kentucky University in 2010. I am a Fellow in the Enabling Program for the Next Generation of Disasters and Hazards Researchers through the National Science Foundation as well as an Early-Career Fellow in the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.