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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Leslie Davol, Co-founder & Executive Director of Street Lab, on Open Streets Program
6:18:19
ยท
127 sec
Leslie Davol, Co-founder & Executive Director of Street Lab, testified about the impact of the Open Streets program in low-income neighborhoods, particularly in The Bronx. She emphasized how the program addresses community safety concerns and provides spaces for community gatherings and children's play.
- Street Lab has been working with communities, mainly in low-income areas, to activate public spaces since 2012.
- The Open Streets program allows community groups to quickly and efficiently partner with the government to shape their neighborhoods.
- Davol shared an example of a successful Open Streets project on Decatur Avenue in the Fordham area of The Bronx, which has had a positive impact on residents' sense of community and hope for the neighborhood.
Leslie Davol
6:18:19
Thank you, chair Brooks Powers and the committee.
6:18:23
I want to talk about one thing to follow-up on what other, some other people have said about Open Streets and funding the city's Open Streets program.
6:18:31
And I want to tell a little bit of a different story based on the work that my organization has been doing in the city, the impact of this program in the city's low income neighborhoods, particularly in The Bronx.
6:18:42
We've been doing a lot of work in The Bronx.
6:18:43
I run a nonprofit called StreetLab that's been around since about 2012.
6:18:49
And we've been working ever since then with communities across New York, the majority in low income areas, and with the city DOT to activate public spaces.
6:18:59
And the number one reason that groups reach out to us for such activation is neighborhood safety.
6:19:05
And I'm not talking about traffic safety in this case.
6:19:07
I'm talking about just a feeling of safety, general sort of safety.
6:19:13
And more recently, these same neighborhood groups have been approaching us to help create open streets.
6:19:19
Now they don't come to us saying, I want an open street.
6:19:22
They don't even know about the program.
6:19:24
But they come to us telling us that parks are too far or they feel too dangerous and they want space for community and space for kids to play.
6:19:34
So I'm thinking of a group of older residents that we're working with now on Decatur Avenue in the Fordham area of the Bronx where the Block Association came together.
6:19:41
They remembered having a play street.
6:19:43
They wanted to bring that back.
6:19:45
And we worked with them.
6:19:45
And with funding from DOT, they were able to enter the program, get some funding, and bring back the Play Street.
6:19:51
And I can tell you that quotes from one woman saying, I was ready to move out of this neighborhood and this makes me feel hopeful.
6:19:58
I want to stick around and help make the neighborhood better.
6:20:00
So they're having an incredible impact.
6:20:03
What's remarkable about the program is it's the way it gives groups agency to take control over their neighborhoods and shape the very neighborhood that they move through every day in a way that's pretty quick.
6:20:14
It's a pretty quick turnaround.
6:20:16
It's pretty efficient, and it's a remarkable way for everyday citizens to partner with government.
6:20:22
So I wanna I hope that it can continue to be a part of the city's budget.
6:20:26
Thank you.