Robert Marans
Robert W. Marans is a research professor at the Institute for Social Research and a professor emeritus of architecture and urban planning in the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.
During the past 30 years, Dr. Marans has conducted evaluative studies and research dealing with various aspects of communities, neighborhoods, housing, and parks and recreation and recreational facilities. His research has focused on user requirements and the manner in which attributes of the physical and sociocultural environments influence individual and group behavior and the quality of community life. Much of Dr. Marans' research has been in the context of urban areas. His current research considers the impact of the built and natural environments on quality of life, the role of neighborhood in the health of Detroit residents, and issues of sustainability in the workplace. The latter examines the human aspects of energy conservation and sustainability at the University of Michigan
Marans is a registered architect and is active in recreation planning and policy in southeastern Michigan. He is a charter member of the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission and commissioner of the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA), the governing body responsible for the planning, development, and operations of the metroparks throughout Southeastern Michigan. He served on the executive committee of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and presently serves on the board of the University’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. He also chairs the board of the Michigan Land Use Institute, and is a trustee of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Inc. From 1997 through 2006, he was a trustee of the Washtenaw Land Trust.
Dr. Marans is the author or co-author of 7 books and more than 100 articles and technical reports. He has lectured extensively throughout the US, and in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Brazil, and Israel.
Research interests include quality of community life indicators, neighborhood and housing planning, park and recreation, environment and behavior, community development, comparative international cities surveys, behavioral aspects of energy conservation, and post-occupancy and evaluation research.
Robert Marans is a MMPEI Faculty Fellow.