PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Ahyoung Kim, Director of Economic Empowerment at Asian American Federation
2:03:48
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3 min
Ahyoung Kim, representing the Asian American Federation, testifies about the importance of naturally occurring cultural districts for immigrant communities and shares the success story of their work in Murray Hill, Queens. She emphasizes the need for strategic investments in immigrant commercial corridors and provides recommendations for supporting these districts.
- Highlights the success of the "Discover Seoul" campaign in Murray Hill, Queens, which increased foot traffic and reduced vacancy rates.
- Recommends sustaining and expanding investments in commercial corridor revitalization within naturally occurring cultural districts.
- Suggests adopting flexible timelines for merchant organizing initiatives and encouraging inter-agency collaboration to promote cultural districts as tourist destinations.
Ahyoung Kim
2:03:48
Thank you, Cheriff, Lisa and Rivera, and both members of both communities.
2:03:51
My name is Ayon Kim, and I serve as the Director of Economic Empowerment at the Asian American Federation, where we work to raise the influence and well-being of the Pan Asian American community through research, policy, Africa, see public awareness and nonprofit support.
2:04:05
My small business team's efforts will focus on empowering immigrant owned businesses through merchant organizing and technical assistance, revitalizing commercial corridors, and fostering strategic partnerships to support the Pan Asian Small Business community in New York City.
2:04:19
Naturally occurring cultural quarters act as lifelines for immigrant communities, providing essential services and jobs as well as cultural spaces, but they also contribute more than just economic value.
2:04:30
They foster social cohesion and cultural exchange enriching the fabric of our city.
2:04:35
And investing in these districts not only drive food traffic and revenue, but also showcase the diversity that defines New York City.
2:04:42
Our work in Murray Hill Queens, as SBS also mentioned, in the past 3 years, serves as a prime example of how focus, public space activation, and quarter branding can not only benefit local businesses, but also foster cultural exchange and economic growth.
2:04:57
With the support of Avenue YC program building create a capacity grant as well as DOT's open space programming, AF AAF launched initiatives such as the finder's Seoul campaign to highlight Murray Hill as Queen's hometown.
2:05:10
Under this campaign, we developed wayfinding materials such as promotional videos and maps of local restaurants to help New Yorkers from all communities explore Korean culinary culture.
2:05:21
Additionally, our food tours and other events brought over 2000 visitors to the district.
2:05:26
These efforts have led to increase for traffic and visibility with vacancy rates declining from 13.3% in 2021 to 6.5% in 2024.
2:05:37
Our local business owners have also shared that they see a lot more diversity in their cost customer base, and they see New Yorkers from all over the city visiting their businesses.
2:05:47
We believe this success story demonstrates the importance.
2:05:51
Thank you.
2:05:52
We believe this success story demonstrates the importance of strategic investments in immigrant called short corridors.
2:05:59
Unfortunately, in spite of our promising merchant organizing efforts in Elmhurst as well as our track record in Murray Hill, we were not given the opportunity to bring our expertise to the business corridor in Elmhurst.
2:06:10
Speaking of merchant organizing, I believe the merchant organizing within immigrant communities requires thoughtful engagement and long term planning.
2:06:18
One size fits all approaches are not effective given the diverse cultures and business practices that characterize these districts.
2:06:25
Our experience in Albers taught us that building relationship and ensuring language access are essential for making meaningful progress.
2:06:33
To this end, we respectfully recommend the following.
2:06:36
1, sustain and expand investments in commercial corridor revitalization within naturally occurring cultural districts, especially continuing the support for leadership organizations such as the Federation to replicate past success in other naturally occurring cultural corridors.
2:06:52
2, urge us SPS to continue working closely with community based organizations to ensure that these efforts reflect the needs and realities of immigrant businesses.
2:07:01
3, allow SPS to adopt flexible timelines and deliverables in their merchant organizing initiatives.
2:07:07
And lastly, encourage diversity agencies to work together and to highlight districts and promote them as destinations for New Yorkers to visit as part of a local tourism campaign.
2:07:18
Thank you for your time and consideration.
2:07:19
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
