January 12, 2006

South Central L.A. Activist Receives Award

WASHINGTON, DC — In an inner city neighborhood hit hard by commercial disinvestments, one woman has stepped in and led the effort to bring back retail development. Marva Smith Battle-Bey has faced untold challenges in her efforts to ensure that residents of south central Los Angeles do not have to leave their neighborhood to shop and dine. For her work on behalf of these residents, Battle-Bey is receiving the 2006 Paul Davidoff National Award for Social Advocacy from the American Planning Association (APA).

"Ms. Battle-Bey is leading a neighborhood revitalization effort unlike any other in Los Angeles," said Carol Rhea, AICP, chair of the APA Awards Committee. "For nearly a quarter century, she has used her skills and knowledge to attract commercial and industrial developers to an area many had given up on," she said. "Ms. Battle-Bey is a true leader in the field of economic development."

Battle-Bey will be recognized along with other 2006 National Planning Awardees at a luncheon ceremony April 25 during APA's National Planning Conference in San Antonio, Texas. A 30-minute video about the accomplishments of all of the 2006 National Planning Awards recipients is part of the luncheon event. Achievements of the awardees also will be highlighted in the March 2006 issue of Planning magazine and on the APA website.

As president and CEO of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) since 1981, Battle-Bey has focused on the economic underpinnings of the community. During her tenure the corporation has secured $50 million in economic development projects for the neighborhood hit hard by riots in 1992.

The projects included two shopping centers, one of which includes the first supermarket to reinvest in the inner city since the civil unrest. Keenly aware of the neighborhood's shifting demographics, Battle-Bey was able to convince the Mexico-based Gigante supermarket chain to open its first Los Angeles store in the south central community.

VSEDC also operates a business incubator, provides technical assistance to merchants and businesses, and rehabs a significant number of housing units each year. The organization has helped many businesses, including several furniture manufacturers, expand.

A Detroit native, Battle-Bey moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to attend planning school at the University of Southern California. There, she earned masters degrees in both public administration and urban and regional planning. She has held lecture appointments at the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Loyola Marymount University in Policy Planning and Development.

Prior to joining VSEDC in 1981, Battle-Bey worked as an associate economist for former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Besides her work at VSEDC, Battle-Bey donates her time and expertise to many other groups in and around south central Los Angeles.

She is founder of the Coalition of Neighborhood Developers and the Black Women's Network; a founding member of the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women for the City of Los Angeles; and past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She also is chairperson of the National Congress Economic Development and vice chairperson of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

The APA National Planning Awards are part of a proud tradition established more than 50 years ago, recognizing outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues.

Contact

Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org