Lochner Marais is Professor of Development Studies at the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS). He also holds an honorary position as an adjunct professor at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (University of Queensland, Australia). His research interests include housing policy, small cities in towns (mining and renewable towns and cities) and public health focusing on children. In addition to concentrating on each of these themes separately, he focuses on integrating them. 

Marais has authored, co-authored and compiled more than 200 research reports, including more than 130 refereed articles in peer-reviewed journals or books. These consist of 105 journal articles and 29 chapters in books. He has also co-edited seven books. Over the past ten years, he has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator for research grants to the value of approximately R20 million.

 He has a specific passion for creating and managing interdisciplinary projects and prefer research that focus on real-world problems in the areas of housing policy, mine-community relations and urban health.

GOOGLE SCHOLAR PROFILE: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WL9d-lIAAAAJ&hl=en

RESEARCHGATE PROFILE: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lochner-Marais

LOOP PROFILE: https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/1256713/overview

Books 

Marais, L., 2023. (forthcoming, contract signed). The Social Impacts of Mine Closure in South Africa: Housing Policy and Place Attachment. Routledge: London.

Sharp, C., and Marais, L. (Eds), 2022 (forthcoming, in production). Growing up Resilient: The Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (MISC). London: Routledge.

Marais, L., Burger, P., Campbell, M., Denoon-Stevens, S., and Van Rooyen, D. (Eds), 2022 (forthcoming, in production). Coal and energy in South Africa. Considering a Just Transition. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Marais, L., Campbell, M., Denoon-Stevens, S. and Van Rooyen, D. (Eds), 2021. Mining and Community in the South African Platinum Belt: A Decade after Marikana. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Marais, L., and Nel, V. (Eds)., 2019. Space and Planning in Secondary Cities: Reflections from South Africa. Stellenbosch: African Sun Media.

Marais, L., Burger, P., and van Rooyen, D. (Eds)., 2018. Community and Mining in South Africa: from Small Town to Iron Town. London: Routledge.

Marais, L., Nel, E., and Donaldson, R. (Eds)., 2016. Secondary Cities and Development. London: Routledge.

Donaldson, R., and Marais, L. (Eds)., 2012. Small Town Geographies in Africa: Experiences from South Africa and elsewhere. New York: Nova Publishers.

Marais, L., and Visser, G. (Eds)., 2008. Spatialities of Urban Change. Selected Themes from Bloemfontein at the beginning of the 21st century. Stellenbosch: Sun Press.

Donaldson, R., and Marais, L. (Eds)., 2002. Transforming Rural and Urban Spaces in South Africa during the 1990s: Reform, Restitution and Restructuring. Pretoria: Africa Institute.

Publications: 2021

Arku, G. and Marais, L., 2021. Global South urbanisms and urban sustainability – challenges and the way forward. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3, 692799.

Cloete, J. and Marais, L., 2021. Mine housing in the South African coalfields: the unforeseen consequences of post-apartheid policy. Housing Studies (Accepted). Indexed Web of Science. Impact Factor 3.516 (Q2 in Urban Studies). SJR: 0.923 (Q1 in Geography, Planning and Development).

Crous, C., Owen, J., Marais, L., Khanyile, S., and Kemp, D., 2021. Public disclosure of mine closures by listed South African mining companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 28(3), 1032-1042. Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 8.741; (Q1 in Environmental Studies) SJR: 1.519; (Q1 in Development).

Gbadegesin, J., Marais, L., Denoon-Stevens, S., Cloete, J., Campbell, M., Khoetaan, Q., Lenka, M., Rani, K., and Venter, A., 2021. Studentification and governance in South Africa: dependencies and conflicts. Land Use Policy, 109, 105639. (Indexed: Web of Science. Impact factor: 5.398 (Q1 in Environmental Studies). SJR: 1.668 (Q1 in Geography, Planning and Development).

Marais, L., and De Lange, A., 2021. Anticipating and planning for mine closure in South Africa. Futures, 125, 102669. Indexed Web of Science. Impact Factor 3.073 (Q1 in Economics). SJR: 1.21  (Q1 in Development).

Marais, L. and Lenka, M., 2021. Urban housing for rural peasants: farmworker housing in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 38(3), 391-403. Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 1.442; (Q4 in Planning and Development Q4). SJR: 0.407; (Q2 in Geography, planning and development)

Marais, L., Nel, V., Rani, K., Van Rooyen, D., Sesele, K., Van der Watt, P., Du Plessis, L., 2021, Economic transitions in South Africa’s secondary cities: governing mine closures. Politics and Governance, 9(2), 381-392. Indexed Web of Science. Impact Factor 2.061 (Q3 in Political Science). SJR: 0.746 (Q1 Public Administration).

Marais, L. and Twala, C., 2021. Bloemfontein: The rise and fall of South Africa’s judicial capital. African Geographical Review, 40(1), 49-62. Indexed Web of Science – extended list; SJR: 0.48. (Q2 Geography, Planning and Development).

Marais, L., Toefy, Y., Thomsen, S, Divan, V., Skinner, D., Mofolo, N., Lenka, M., Cloete, J., 2021. Targeting for male medical circumcision: Profiles from two South African cities. Aids Care, 33(4), 448-452.  Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 2.32 (Q2 in Health Policies and Services; Psychology /Multi-disciplinary; Public, environmental and occupational health; Q2 in Social Sciences, biomedical); SJR 1.116 (Q1 Health - social sciences); H5-index: 37.

Marais, L., Owen, J., Kotze, T., Nel, P., Cloete, J., Lenka, M., 2021.  Determinants of place attachment among mineworkers: Evidence from South Africa. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(3), 100943.   Indexed: Web of Science. Impact factor 3.586 (Q2 for Environmental Studies); SJR: 0.999 (Q1 for Geography, Planning and Development).

Owen, J., Kemp, D., and Marais, L., 2021. The cost of mining benefits: localising the resource curse hypothesis. Resources Policy. 74, 102239. Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 5.634. (Q1 in Environmental Studies); SJR: 1.276 (Q1 in Law; Sociology and Political Science).

Sesele, K., Marais, L., van Rooyen, D., Cloete, J., 2021. Mine decline and women: reflections from the Free State Goldfields. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(1), 211-219.  Indexed: Web of Science. Impact factor 3.586 (Q2 for Environmental Studies); SJR: 0.999 (Q1 for Geography, Planning and Development).

Sesele, K., Marais, L., van Rooyen, D., 2021. Women and mine closure: A case study of policy in South Africa. Resources Policy, 72, 102059. Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 5.634. (Q1 in Environmental Studies); SJR: 1.276 (Q1 in Law; Sociology and Political Science; Q2 in Economic and Econometrics; Q2 Management, Monitoring, Policy and// Law).

Sharp, C., Kulesz, P., Marais, L., Shohet, C., Rani, K., Lenka, M, Cloete, J., Vanwoerden, S., Givon, D., Boivin, M., 2021. Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers to improve mental health outcomes in orphaned and vulnerable children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2021.1881903 Indexed: Web of Science. Impact factor: 4.964. (Q1 in Psychology, developmental); SJR: 2.036. (Q1 Development and Educational Psychology).

Van der Watt, P. and Marais, L., 2021. Implementing social and labour plans in South Africa: reflections on collaborative planning in the mining industry. Resources Policy, 71, 101984. Indexed: Web of Science; Impact factor: 5.634. (Q1 in Environmental Studies); SJR: 1.276 (Q1 in Law; Sociology and Political Science; Q2 in Economic and Econometrics; Q2 Management, Monitoring, Policy and// Law).

Low-income housing policy

Informal settlements

Local economic development

Mining and communities

Urban Health

Low-income housing policy

Local economic development

Universities and regional development