Planner Profiles: Michael Shibata

The planner profile article in this edition of the APA Hawaii Newsletter features Michael Shibata. Michael’s current work as the Director of Real Estate for the Liliʻuokalani Trust draws from his experience in both the planning and development industries. He was the recent recipient of the APA Hawaii Chapter’s 2018 Distinguished Service Award. Mahalo, Michael, for sharing your perspective with our readers.

Background

Michael is the Director of Real Estate for the Liliʻuokalani Trust; he previously held positions with PBR Hawaii and Stanford Carr Development. Michael’s involvement with the APA Hawaiʻi Chapter began in 2012 as a member of the Chapter’s Program Committee. He served as Chapter Treasurer from 2014 to 2018. In this role, Michael advised leadership on the Chapter’s financial standing and ensured positive financial status was maintained. He continues to be involved as the Chapter’s liaison with the Hawaii Congress of Planning Officials (HCPO) and also serves on various boards including the Urban Land Institute, Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, and Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference. He was recently the recipient of the Chapter’s 2018 Distinguished Service award.

1. What initially drew you to planning?

I’ve always been fascinated with travel, and experiencing new cities and cultures. I spent a summer backpacking through Europe just before my senior year in college. Traveling from city to city, I observed the relationship between people, nature, and the surrounding built environment. I jotted down the unique things I loved about each of the places I visited: the tree lined boulevards of Paris, the vibrant energy of Barcelona, the charm of the coastal towns along the Mediterranean, and the quaint villages of the Swiss Alps. After witnessing the interplay between the people and their surrounding environments, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. I enrolled in Tom Dinell’s Introduction to Planning course at UH Mānoa. It covered the history of planning, and how public policy and development factors affect the way cities are designed. Together with this strong interest and my degrees in economics and political science, I decided to leap into the world of planning.

2. Planning is multidisciplinary and multifaceted. How do you explain what planning is to someone outside our profession?

Planning is a thoughtful and conscientious process in envisioning the future of a community. Planners collaborate with many different groups to create this vision, including developers, government agencies, engineers, economists, and the community at large. It is by working together that we are able to move forward and encourage sustainable and responsible growth.

3. Please tell us a bit about your current position. What was the career path you took to arrive at this position?

The path to my current position started with planning. I began my career at PBR Hawaii & Associates, Inc., a land planning and landscape architecture consulting firm. Since I didn’t have a formal planning background, I was eager to devote extra time to learn about the many aspects of planning. I was very fortunate to have a principal there who served (and continues to serve) as my mentor. He taught me so much about planning and supported me both professionally and personally. After eight years at PBR Hawaii, I was faced with a tough decision: stay in planning or accept an opportunity in the development industry. I decided that I wanted to learn more about the overall development process and joined Stanford Carr Development. While the project responsibilities were new, my experiences in planning always provided a stable foundation from which to approach challenges. I learned a lot in my role there, especially in terms of decision making from an owner’s perspective, project budgeting, working with lenders, and construction of a project. My current duties and responsibilities with the Liliʻuokalani Trust require the skills acquired from both experiences, and having a planning background has definitely helped in my current role.

4. How do the knowledge, skills, and abilities obtained through your work as a planner contribute to your work as the Liliʻuokalani Trust’s Real Estate Director?

The Trust is the steward of thousands of acres of land in Hawaiʻi. We have a great responsibility to manage and improve the assets for long-term value creation to support mission-related spending. Planning for the future plays a key role in determining our efforts for today. These efforts include the strategic acquisition and disposition of assets, leasing, project management, entitlements and permitting, and long-term master planning. As a person of Native Hawaiian descent, I feel fortunate to work for an organization that supports the future of Native Hawaiian children and their ʻohana.

5. What advice do you have for planners beginning their careers?

Get involved, even if the project or activity is outside of your comfort zone. Pushing and challenging yourself allows you to grow, gain new perspectives, and become a more well-rounded individual. Seek out a mentor(s). Be proactive and don’t wait around for someone to ask you. Identify areas of interest and learn to figure out what motivates you.

6. What achievement in your career are you proudest of?

There have been many memorable moments in my career so far. Each project, no matter how large or small, has impacted me and allowed me to grow as an individual. One experience that stands out for me is working on the Culinary Institute of the Pacific. It was the first project that I was entrusted with a leading role. The project had its share of complications, with a long list of permitting requirements and intense public input which resulted in a complete project redesign. In the end, after much collaboration with the project team and community, we received the approvals needed to move forward. This project gave me confidence in my ability to lead future projects and reaffirmed my decision to become a planner.