Harry Smith

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Harry Smith

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0922-5575

  • EH14 4AS

    United Kingdom

1998 …2025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests

Human settlements in the rapidly urbanising world, mainly looking at planning and housing (with a particular focus on Latin America), community empowerment, participatory processes and user involvement in the production of the built environment Urban place-making and place-keeping, including waterfront (re)development, partnership approaches to the design and long-term maintenance of open space, and the impact of globalisation on historic centres Architectural design, with a focus on the interrelationship between process and product.

Biography

Trained as an Architect at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (1990), Spain, where I worked in private practice. MSc in Urban & Regional Planning (Developing Countries) in 1996 (Dissertation was on Curitiba, Brazil), followed by a PhD in Planning and Housing focused on low-income housing in Costa Rica in 2000, both at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot-Watt University. Worked in the private sector as an architect and planner in Edinburgh between 1996 and 2000. Central Development Officer at Community Self-Build Scotland, Glasgow, 2000/01. Researcher at the School of Planning & Housing, Edinburgh College of Art (1999/2000 and 2001/02), and then at the School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University (2002/04), working on a range of projects including participatory planning in the UK, Europe and Latin America; access to land for housing in peri-urban areas in Africa; and housing needs of minority ethnic communities, diversity, green belts and permitted development in the UK. Since 2004, Lecturer at the School of the Built Environment, becoming Senior Lecturer in 2010. In this period my research interests broadened from institutional and governance issues in planning and housing to physical design, including: rental housing in Africa; waterfront redevelopment and urban place-making and place-making in Europe and worldwide; the impact of globalisation on historic centres in Latin America and Europe; housing and school building design; and architectural research in academia and practice. From 2006 to 2010 I was co-coordinator of the Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South (N-AERUS), contributing to the organisation of annual conferences in London, Edinburgh, Rotterdam and Brussels. Since 2007, Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Since 2010, Director of the Centre for Environment & Human Settlements, at the School of the Built Environment.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 1 - No Poverty
    SDG 1 No Poverty
  2. SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    SDG 2 Zero Hunger
  3. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
  4. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  5. SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  6. SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
  7. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
  8. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  9. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action
  10. SDG 15 - Life on Land
    SDG 15 Life on Land
  11. SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • 1 Participation in workshop, seminar, course