Sarah Smiley

Sarah Smiley is Professor and Interim Chair of Geography at Kent State University. An urban geographer with PhD from University of Kansas (2007), she researches water access inequalities and development challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Her work employs qualitative methods including spatial video analysis, mental mapping, and archival research to examine colonial legacies in urban service provision. Current projects investigate how water price, availability, reliability, and collection effort compound access barriers in informal settlements.

Smiley's publications analyze COVID-19 impacts on water security, flood vulnerability mapping in Dar es Salaam, and tensions between formal/informal water providers. She documents how historical segregation patterns perpetuate contemporary service disparities and influence community adaptation strategies.