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TESTIMONY

Braden Crooks from Designing the We on historical context of exclusionary housing policies and support for City of Yes

6:17:16

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3 min

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Braden Crooks, co-founder of Designing the We and creator of the Undesign the Red Line exhibit, expresses support for the City of Yes initiative while providing historical context on exclusionary housing policies in New York City. He highlights how past racist policies have evolved into modern zoning regulations that continue to perpetuate exclusion in wealthier neighborhoods.

Discusses the impact of redlining and other discriminatory practices on maintaining property values through exclusion
Explains how zoning regulations expanded after the 1968 Fair Housing Act as a means to continue exclusionary practices
Urges the City Planning Commission to consider this historical context and the need for more affordable housing and fair housing initiatives

Historical context of structurally racist policies like redlining
Continuation of exclusionary practices through zoning regulations after the 1968 Fair Housing Act
Current community processes often benefit wealthier residents and perpetuate exclusion
Necessity of increasing affordable housing
Obligation to permanently further fair housing

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Braden Crooks

6:17:16

Hi, thank you.

6:17:17

Thank you for having me.

6:17:17

My name is Braden.

6:17:18

I'm one of coponderance of designing the we and craters of the undesigned the red line exhibit about history of structurally racist policy and decision making of the city has been engaged in for quite a long time in its history.

6:17:32

And I'm here in support of City of Yes.

6:17:36

When we look through this history and I want to do back out to think about this where we come and why we're here.

6:17:43

So many of these policies, which we've said, okay, we've officially ended structurally racist policy like redlining and things like that.

6:17:50

We haven't gone further to undo and start to heal from and repair from the damage that those policies created.

6:17:57

And when you look at redlining and you look at the language that was in the New York City Maps, including this is a hazardous neighborhood quote unquote, negro infiltration.

6:18:07

When you look at the restrictions that were put on wider wealthier neighborhoods, indeed restrictions and things like this, and you look at private real estate documents that said, you know, be due to property values, quote, you know, people of color need to stay in the neighborhoods where they live and not to try and move around.

6:18:28

This idea of infiltration the through line here through all of these policies was maintaining value through exclusion.

6:18:35

Using exclusion, using exclusivity to maintain not only property value but this vision of, well, what does it mean to be a nice neighborhood?

6:18:43

It means those people aren't here.

6:18:45

And when we get to the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which makes that type of language explicitly illegal, you see across the country and here in New York and in the region an explosion of certain types of zoning regulations.

6:18:59

The single family home zoning increases downszoning restrictions on housing types and mixed use, you see the list goes on.

6:19:08

But actually, the explosion in all the zoning regulation and law really happens in the wake of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

6:19:15

And in many ways, it continues that through line of exclusion wider and wealthier neighborhoods because now, well, we can't stop certain people from moving here, but we can stop new and affordable housing.

6:19:27

And so that thru line has to be understood.

6:19:30

It lasts all

6:19:30

the way until today because

6:19:33

you look at even things like community processes, which of course are important, but in many cases have benefited wealthier residents, residents with more time, more resources who can block certain initiatives whereas other neighborhoods face the burden of more housing, more supportive housing, things like that.

6:19:51

And so even today, people talk about community, but when they're saying those words, they're really talking about excluding people from their communities.

6:19:58

And I don't think that that is is a good use of that word and that idea.

6:20:05

And so I am urging this planning counsel to consider these things that I think there's a lot more that can be built in, there's a lot more that needs to be done, especially when it concerns both in increasing affordable housing, which is an absolute necessity.

6:20:18

And afford the obligation to permanently further care housing.

Dan Garodnick

6:20:23

Thank you, great.

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