Robert W. Marans

Board Member, Detroit RiverFront Conservancy

Research Professor
Institute for Social Research

Professor Emeritus of Architecture & Urban Planning
University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning

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, the contributions of signs to public space, 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 and president 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 is a trustee of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy and has served on the boards of the Michigan Land Use Institute and 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 the Middle East.