After graduating with a degree in Oriental Studies from Cambridge University in 2007, Joseph Alexander Smith pursued a brief career in Middle Eastern Studies Librarianship in London. A chance trip to Georgia in 2011 changed the course of his life, and he settled in Tbilisi in 2012. Through working as a multi-media journalist on environmental and cultural heritage issues, Joseph became involved in the flourishing urban activism scene in 2014-2015, particularly through the pedestrian-rights organisation Iare Pekhit. On the basis of this experience in civil activism, Joseph made a bid for a seat in Tbilisi’s City Assembly in October 2017, becoming the first British-born Georgian citizen to run for elected office. Despite losing the election, Joseph has continued to be active on urban issues, hosting a weekly radio show specifically on urban development on Radio GIPA.