Research Activities: Christopher J. Smith

Accomplishments in past 36 months

Dr. Smith is an urban geographer whose research and teaching interests are in the area of urban social problems, including health and health care delivery, homelessness, and mental illness. Within the last decade most of Smith’s research focus has shifted to East Asia, especially China, and his recent work has been concerned with the social and cultural consequences of China’s transition away from socialism; the bulk of his work in this area has been summarized in a number of journal articles and in three books, recent one published in 2006. He is particularly interested in the implications of modernization and economic development in China’s largest cities, and the transformation and (sub) urbanization of the Chinese countryside. His most recent work recent work has involved the relationship between migration and the spread of HIV/AIDS in China. During the past two years he has published articles in The China Review and Asia Pacific Viewpoint on this research. With associate Youqin Huang and others, he recently completed a comprehensive book on China’s Geography (Rowman and Littlefield, 2006), which is the first comprehensive treatment of the many Chinas of the current reform era.

Funded Research in past 36 months

Smith was one of the original Albany faculty members who established the Urban China Research Network, which was funded by three grants totaling $1,020,000 (2000-2005) from the Mellon Foundation.

Work in progress and pending/planned research projects

UCRN is currently planning to conduct a series of workshops in western China and to establish some working groups to study critical urban issues in that region. A proposal for a pilot project for this endeavor has been submitted to the Ford Foundation and is currently under review.
Smith is continuing some of his older work on the topic of Asian-American immigrant communities, focusing on the Chinese and Korean neighborhoods of Queens, New York. This effort combines field work on recent developments in Queens with an analysis of demographic trends evident from the 2000 Census. In particular Smith is investigating the economic and social resources of the most recent immigrants into the area and the ways these resources are being used to transform different neighborhoods; and the different rates of and reasons for the suburbanization of Asian immigrants in New York. This work, which has so far resulted in one published article, is not currently funded, but he anticipates submitting a proposal for funding in the near future.
Smith has also begun a new project addressing the geographical, social and environmental impacts of Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games. He has conducted fieldwork during the last two summers in Beijing, and is attempting to compare developments there with their equivalents in the last three host cities. In substantive, this work is examining the Beijing bid in terms of China’s general shift in the direction of neoliberal economic policies, along with the efforts being made by cities around the world to become increasingly “entrepreneurial’ in their efforts to maintain and enhance their own economic competitiveness.

Contribution to the population research program

Smith has participated in the Albany-based steering committee of the Urban China Research Network since its inception in 2000 and is actively involved in UCRN research activities; he currently serves as Associate Director of UCRN. His China research contributes to the CSDA signature themes on health and health disparities and on spatial demography and strengthens the Asian portion of the CSDA portfolio.

Use of infrastructure cores and activities

Smith uses the computing infrastructure, statistical consultation, and information resources provided by the population center. In addition, as a member of CSDA’s UCRN initiative, his work has been assisted by a working-group grant during the recent period.