TESTIMONY
Lauren Gashinsky, Small Business Owner and Artist, on Enhancing Equitable Urban Nightlife through Proposal 9
5:36:17
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132 sec
Lauren Gashinsky, a small business owner, artist, and resident of district 34, endorses Proposal 9 with caveats, advocating for equitable urban development in New York City's nightlife.
- Gashinsky highlights the need for equitable development, opposing the 'highest and best use' approach that exacerbates historical inequalities.
- She points out the barriers that marginalized communities face in creating nightlife spaces and calls for change.
- Gashinsky emphasizes the importance of considering noise and community engagement in developing urban nightlife.
- She advocates for zoning changes that support diversity, prevent displacement, and promote inclusivity in nightlife areas.
- Gashinsky envisions nightlife as a key component of a 24-hour city, urging council members to support sustainable and inclusive changes.
Lauren Gashinsky
5:36:17
Hi.
5:36:18
I'm Lauren Gashinsky.
5:36:19
I'm a small business owner, my life consultant, artist and resident in district 34.
5:36:24
And I also support proposal 9.
5:36:27
But I want to say this with a huge caveat and really caveat for all these proposals, which we've heard today, is that these will go the direction that the city and our districts enable them to go.
5:36:39
So if we're going to make a New York for everybody 24 hours a day, we can't keep following this highest and best use mantra that drives our nighttime spaces and our daytime spaces.
5:36:52
Many people have never had the chance to get their foot in the door to create a space at night for themselves and their communities.
5:37:00
Currently, zoned out areas, if you look at them and you overlay them with a map of redlining and historic divestment, there's a lot of correlations there.
5:37:09
And women, people of color, LGBTQ communities, indigenous, and immigrant communities all still face a lot of barriers to just get their foot in the door.
5:37:20
And the sector, as you probably know, is also mostly working class.
5:37:24
And these spaces provide essential jobs and a place for communities to come together for millions of New Yorkers.
5:37:32
So I call on our council members and our district representatives to think about the night with the same equity lens that we think about the day.
5:37:41
And I understand that there are anxieties, especially around noise.
5:37:44
But again, this gives people options.
5:37:47
We can find more options put people somewhere where the noise is not a problem, which is a great thing.
5:37:53
Small spaces are also more affordable to sound proof.
5:37:56
They're more manageable when it comes to crowd control, and they're more connected with their local communities, ideally, because the owners are from that neighborhood.
5:38:06
There's also growing sober and age inclusive movements, not just in New York, but around the world.
5:38:10
It'd be great to see them have access to spaces like this.
5:38:14
We can be creative about it.
5:38:16
And most importantly, this doesn't end with zoning.
5:38:20
We in nightlife.
5:38:21
Also want diversity.
5:38:23
We don't want displacement, and we can be part of a 24 hour solution if you'd let us be.
5:38:28
Thank you.