Smith pursues innovative solutions in planning and design in support of diversity and social justice – seeking to improve the health, happiness, and wellbeing of marginalized, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations. At the University of Arkansas he carried out applied research in public policy and design with a focus on housing, including both domestic work and scholarship abroad. His current work focuses on refugee housing and settlement planning. Smith's research has taken him across the rural South (U.S.) and around the globe, including Rwanda, Uganda, India, and Costa Rica. 

Smith says the historic pattern in the design and planning of buildings, towns and cities has been by and for those with economic or political power (or both). This includes how decisions are made about the location of schools, roads, parks, and housing, as well as the design – materials, spaces, amenities, etc. – of these places. Says Smith, "Seldom have we asked: How do we design a bus system from the perspective of single mothers? How do we design markets from the standpoint of children? How do we design housing from the standpoint of refugees, older adults, or people with disabilities?" 

He is the author/editor of seven books, including three with Routledge: Inclusive Design: Implementation and  Evaluation (2018), Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences (2015), and Introducing Architectural Theory: Debating a Discipline (2012). His most recent work is Interpreting Kigali, Rwanda: Architectural Inquiries and Prospects for a Developing African City (2018). He has earned seven awards for outstanding teaching and research, and the work of his students has received international recognition, such as an Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture Collaborative Practice Award.