Frank Streed, MURP 1980 - Dinell Outstanding DURP Alumni
Frank’s planning career is a bit different than the typical MURP graduate. He devoted his planning skills to serving legislators in the City Council and State Legislature for over 30 years. And after retiring at the end of 2014, he volunteered as Co-Chair of the Age-Friendly Honolulu Implementation Committee. Again, employing his planning talents in supporting and benefitting his community.
Frank has noted that as a senior advisor to four members of the City Council over time he “…supervised a staff of five and was responsible for legislative and public policy review of all matters affecting the operations of city government, with particular emphasis on land use planning, transportation services, public safety, environmental services, and budget and fiscal operations.” (Streed Bio, 2018)
As Planners, we know the law makes a significant difference in how plans are designed and implemented. Two ordinances, authored by Frank Streed, make this point clear. In the mid 1980’s John Goody, a former Dinell Outstanding DURP Alumni awardee, and I, Tom Dinell, FAICP, drafted a Complete Streets ordinance for consideration by the City Council. We thought we had done a pretty good job. Then Frank took a hand at revising our draft. He did a masterful job, producing a brilliant ordinance, which outdid our original draft a thousand times over and which has formed the basis for the City and County Administration’s implementation of Complete Streets in Honolulu.
Frank retired. Then, as Co-Chair of the Age-Friendly City Implementation Committee, Frank pulled together the multiple efforts of the committee members into another masterful ordinance, which lays the basis for all the City departments to participate in committing the City “…to encourage and advance the development of programs, services, facilities, and projects that are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to best accommodate users of all ages and abilities, especially the elderly.” [Bill 54 (2018) CD2]
Frank has clearly met the criteria for being the recipient of The Dinell Outstanding Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Award for 2018. Thank you, Frank, for your continuing service to planning and to our community, both as a staff member and as a volunteer.
Criteria to be met in designating this award:
Exceptional accomplishments in planning that have had major community impacts over an extended period of time;
Dedication to furthering the public interest, social justice, and broad-based participation in planning;
Commitment to balancing the physical and social aspects of planning;
Personal leadership in planning, particularly in mentoring planners with less experience; and
High degree of personal integrity and professional ethics.
Article contributed by Tom Dinell, FAICP, Emeritus Professor, DURP, November 2018
