David M. Feehan: A Tribute and Reflection
Share: David M. Feehan A Tribute and Reflection By This tribute article honors a good friend of the parking industry, Mr. David M. Feehan. I was introduced to Dave in 2003. Dave was president of the International Downtown Association at that time. A colleague of Dave’s who ran the Downtown Business District in Long Beach, CA, had become aware of a planned parking study to be put out to bid by the city. He suggested that if we were to pursue this study, adding Dave Feehan to our team could benefit the research and ultimately the entire downtown. Incorporating a process Dave had developed that he called the “Advisory Panel Process,” Long Beach turned out to be the first of 15 such partnerships that included communities as diverse as Houston, TX, Provo, UT, and Providence, RI, to name a few. David Feehan is a world-recognized expert in downtown revitalization. For more than 50 years, he has provided leadership and management to successful downtown and business district organizations, founded and directed a technical assistance center for community development organizations and a public policy organization, authored numerous books and articles, and taught at two universities. He is often quoted by news media throughout North America and elsewhere. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and meetings both in the U.S. and internationally, including speaking engagements in Turin, Quebec, and Taipei. Dave also provides consulting services to many government agencies, organizations, and associations. He has served on numerous boards of directors and has chaired the boards of the International Downtown Association, the Responsible Hospitality Institute, and other organizations. As the chief executive of three downtown organizations and one community development corporation, Dave managed major real estate and infrastructure projects, successful business attraction and retention programs, and an award-winning parking system in Kalamazoo, MI. As the chief executive of two technical assistance centers, he provided organizational development, marketing, fundraising, and other management support to more than 500 nonprofit organizations. As a consultant, Dave helps downtowns, business district organizations, units of government (and even a few parking systems) develop visions and missions, strategic plans, innovative programs, and transformational processes. As an author and professor, he co-edited and wrote the most widely recognized textbook on downtown management, Making Business Districts Work, and is a frequent contributor to journals and trade publications. As I began to focus on the relationship between downtown management and parking, I became involved with Dave and the International Downtown Association (IDA). Parking was almost always a significant and challenging issue in downtown environments. After several years with IDA on advisory panels and working with downtowns across the U.S., I was invited to be on the IDA Board. The Advisory Panel Process Dave developed a unique public engagement process that he called the “Advisory Panel Process.” Dave used this charette-like planning process with downtowns of various sizes and complexity to address issues such as homelessness, retail revitalization, and a host of other downtown management issues. Together, we also used this process to significant effect regarding downtown parking. The experience of these three- to four-day panel processes generated deep dives into each of the 15 or so communities we engaged with. I think those most impacted by these truly exceptional experiences were myself and the three or four invited “experts” that we would recruit for each panel. These were active parking/mobility program managers/directors who each had excellent and replicable programs from around the country. Dave continues to shape the industry through his consulting practice and ongoing participation with the IDA, the Association of Town Centre Management in Europe, and many other organizations that call on Dave for guidance and technical expertise. One example of this that I participated in directly was Dave’s leadership of the Symposium on Urban Space Management (Simpósio de Administração Compartilhada de Espaços Urbanos) held in Maringa, Brazil, in 2010 (see above). In summary, Dave is the consummate professional, a recognized industry leader, and a person deeply admired and respected by clients, colleagues, and peers alike. He is respected both for his expansive knowledge and genuine concern for others. On a personal note, I feel deeply fortunate to have had the privilege of working with Dave on more than 20 projects over the years. Thank you, Dave, for your many contributions to making our urban centers (and a few parking programs) more vibrant, better-designed, and better-managed. Table of Contents
