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The Diana Donald Award

To an APA member for a significant contribution to planning issues related to women and the family. This award honors the late APA board member for her contribution to the association. Criteria Support of women and the family. To what extent has the nominee's efforts addressed the concerns of women through specific actions or contributions to planning initiatives in the community? Effectiveness To what extent has the nominee been effective in furthering the cause of women's issues through planning? Within what sphere of influence has this effectiveness been realized? History of Award and Awardees Click here to learn about the life of Diana Donald and those who have received the award. If you have suggestions for future awardees, please contact Rachael Pitts, rachael.pitts@phoenix.gov. 2006 Diana Donald Award Nomination by the Planning and Women Division:   Marva Smith Battle-Bey When the area of South Central Los Angeles is mentioned in the news, the image that comes to mind is a blighted low income area. It is an area where it is difficult to get lending institutions to invest in commercial projects. It is an area that is known for high crime rates and low graduation rates. It is an area that was the hardest hit in the civil unrest that followed the outcome of a police brutality case in the early 1990’s. It is also an area where Marva Smith Battle-Bey serves as President and CEO of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC), an organization that is helping to change this image. The VSEDC, under Ms. Battle-Bey’s leadership, is leading a neighborhood revitalization effort unlike any other in the City of Los Angeles. Marva Smith Battle-Bey is making a difference in South Central Los Angeles. As a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Planning School, she has used her skills and knowledge to help revitalize and area that is neglected by most mainstream developers. Marva has broken the traditional mold followed by most non-profit development corporations with the idea that creating retail and industrial development needs to done in conjunction with providing housing opportunities. Ms. Battle-Bey has been the Executive Director of VSEDC for the past twenty years, spearheading the organization to accomplish over $40 million in economic development projects within the Vermont Slauson community. During her tenure as Executive Director, the VSEDC rehabilitates 75-100 units of housing per year, has developed a 20,000 square foot industrial business incubator, has purchased and developed a 10,000 square foot business enterprise center (micro-incubator) and has established a successful technical assistance program for merchants and businesses. The Vermont Slauson EDC has completed construction of two 20-unit housing complexes and owns and operates a 10 acre shopping center. The shopping center includes one of the first supermarket chains to reinvest in this inner city community after a ten year absence following the Rodney King police brutality court case civil unrest. Marva Smith Battle-Bey is recognized as a pioneer and innovator in the realm of economic development. She is a nationally authority in this planning specialty field and has been instrumental in founding several organizations dedicated to empowering and providing economic development in the South Central Los Angeles community. She is founder of the Coalition of Neighborhood Developers; founder of the Black Women’s Network; founding member of the Friends of the Commission of the Status of Women for the City of Los Angeles; and President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She holds numerous leadership positions and memberships in economic development organizations. On top of all of her professional activities, she is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California and serves as a lecturer in the School of Policy, Planning and Development. When you think of people who have made a difference in South Central Los Angeles, Marva Smith Battle-Bey’s name rises to the top. She has been leading the charge for urban development in a community that is often overlooked because of demographics. For decades, this area has been predominantly African American, with a high rate of female headed households. With no national chains willing to locate within this community, and seeing a trend of a growing Hispanic population, Ms. Battle-Bey approached the Gigante supermarket chain from Mexico to address the changing demographics. With this insight, she was able to convince a non-traditional market to locate in a much need retail project for the community. This success now allows families to shop for groceries within their own neighborhood. Marva Smith Battle-Bay is a true leader in every sense of the words. She serves as a role model to women in the planning profession; with her can do attitude and her un-waiving determination, she is an inspiration to all those who come in contact with her. As a lecturer at several Southern California Universities, she is sharing her experience and knowledge with future planners. As an African American Women, she serves as a role model to minority female planners, showing that you can do anything you set mind to do. In a specialty field dominated by men, she serves a leader to all economic development professional. She is a person who delivers on her promises, earning the trust of those who work with her both in the private and civic sectors. As Executive Director of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation, Marva Smith Battle-Bey has helped to create a viable community for families in an area that was partially destroyed during an urban riot. Her track record speaks for itself. She has had a major impact on women and families within the South Central Los Angeles area, helping to provide housing, jobs, and retail amenities to all residents within the Vermont Slauson community. Planning Article, June 2002 - L.A. Powerhouse (PDF) Support Letter - Planning and Women Division (PDF)   Women Resident Activists at Wentworth Gardens in Chicago, 2005 Diana Donald Award Nomination by the Planning and Women Division Women residents of a Chicago public housing project banded together in the 1960s to address a laundry list of problems. Wentworth Gardens resident activists, African-American women representing over 1,200 people, mostly low-income female-headed families, have effectively pursued a vision to sustain the community and improve the built environment, ultimately thwarting a decision in the 1980s to demolish the housing development. The activists engaged in grassroots organizing to stem the marked deterioration of their buildings, grounds, services, and programs. A core of 20-30 women, young and old, are volunteers in the various on-site facilities, services, and programs created by the Local Advisory Council and the Resident Management Corporation, of which they are members. They pressured the Chicago Housing Authority for spaces within their development, modestly rehabbed them, and created a volunteer-run daycare program, laundromat, convenience store, and spiritual development center. They developed youth programs, tenant security measures, and local fundraising efforts. One of the activist leaders, Mrs. Hallie Amey, has earned a place on the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Like the struggles of other poor and working class women, in particular women of color, the Wentworth Gardens activists could not rely on culturally normative routes of electoral politics or financial resources to work in their best interests, rather they have achieved their power from the bottom up, through involvement in collective grassroots activism. The result is a robust community that greeted the new millennium with pride of ownership, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the development.   Laura C. Johnson, Award Winner 2004 Laura C. Johnson, PhD, MCIP, RPP, is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. She is the author of The Co-workplace; Teleworking in the Neighborhood, published by UBC ( University of British Columbia) Press, first published in 2002. The book presents a well-reasoned case for shared working spaces located independently from an employer and closer to, sometimes even in the same building where workers live. Johnson’s book is based on research she conducted on telework, especially community alternatives to working at home. Her book is an account of the historical perspective on home-based work and its impact by class, gender, and household type. A telework facility, or “co-workplace” is suggested as a viable alternative to home-based work. The author has discussed this in depth, providing examples of how it might be done. A need for neighborhood telework centers is established based on her research and case studies. Johnson has a vision of the role of planning and community design as a path to improve the quality of life of society as a whole, and families in particular. Her teaching, research, and writing explore the everyday lives of families as they cope with the clash between working and living. She provides powerful insights into how we expect people to adapt to the built environment, rather than having what we build support the way we live. Her research encourages current and future planners to think about their own families and their own experiences when making policy and enforcing regulations, resulting in better decisions and better communities.   Susan Jessica Friedland, Award Winner 2002 Susan Jessica Friedland of Brooklyn, New York, is the Assistant Director for Housing Development, Fifth Avenue Committee. She manages all aspects of housing development for the nonprofit community development corporation, including project concept development, financial feasibility assessment, site selection, identification of funding sources, and many more. She has a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley. The Fifth Avenue Committee has operated in South Brooklyn since 1977. Its mission is to promote social and economic justice by developing and managing affordable housing as well as creating employment opportunities, organizing residents and workers, and combating displacement caused by gentrification. She was nominated for her work on Warren Street in lower Park Slope, a gentrifying area where the rent is high. One of the Warren Street buildings contains 67 units of supportive housing for low-income single people, the other is an 11-unit cooperative apartment building for moderate-income working families. Friedland also developed a nine-unit transitional residence for homeless pregnant women. Friedland planned the project working with present and future residents to develop the building concept, gain support, and brainstorm about design and innovations. She also managed the financing. Her planning sets the standard for community and resident involvement, commitment to beautiful and high-quality housing for low-income residents, and participation by women professionals.