This presentation will describe a program of research aimed at measuring the quality of life in world cities and regions using sets of subjective and objective indicators. The research is designed to inform public policy, planning and design and contribute to an understanding of responses to different environmental conditions. A case study for the metro Detroit area is presented and covers the methodology, selected findings, uses of the data, and on-going work.
Dr. Robert W Marans is a research professor, emeritus professor of architecture
and urban planning, a registered architect, and an
active voice in recreation planning and policy in southeastern Michigan; however,
more importantly, Dr. Marans is a man with a passion and dedication to the
research of the “Quality of Urban Life”. For more than 30 years,
Dr. Marans has conducted research dealing with various aspects of communities,
neighborhoods, housing, parks and recreation, and recreational facilities.
His research has focused on user requirements and the manner in which attributes
of physical and sociocultural environments infl uence individual and group
behavior and the quality of community life. The author or co-author of 7 books
and more than 100 articles and technical reports, he is a man of many words.
In his career, he has traveled the world sharing his research and has become
a prominant fi gure in urban planning and research.