We are posting it here to encourage Gowanus residents to attend. It behooves all of us to make sure that such discussions on the proposed up-zoning do not get highjacked by Councilman Brad Lander and by organizations that claim to speak for the community, especially because some of them receive money from New York City and from developers.
Here is a description of the event:
The pressure is on – massive population displacement is forcing cities to develop areas that are scarred by 19th and 20th century industry, have insufficient infrastructure, or are at risk with the rapid environmental changes wrought by global warming. If we want to create sustainable and equitable development amongst these conditions, Designers must get political. An Architect, a Lighting Designer, an Activist, an Environmental Steward, and a Politician, present ongoing work, both realized and theoretical, happening in Gowanus Brooklyn, showing the potential for community-based and cross-disciplinary approaches to design and planning.
Speakers: Andrea Parker (Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy), Catherine Zinnel Deputy Chief of Staff, New York City Council Member Brad Lander, David Briggs (Founder Gowanus By Design / Principal at Loci Architecture), Zac Martin (Founder of Trellis), Alexandra Pappas-Kalber (Part-time Faculty MFA Lighting Design / Principal at Sighte Studio)
Host: Francesca Bastianini (Part Time faculty, MFA Lighting Design / Principal at Sighte Studio)
Could Councilmember Lander and the organizations mentioned above still argue that the upzoning "offers a potential community-based approach to design and planning? "
Bridging Gowanus was advertised as "a community planning process to shape a sustainable, livable, and inclusive future for the Gowanus neighborhood-in the face of ongoing change, the Superfund clean-up, and real estate pressure."
Instead, it has now become clear that New York City's Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal, which claims to have incorporated the community's wishes into account, is a big fat lie and a give-away to developers.
Nothing in the proposed upzoning guarantees us new schools, better infrastructure, studios for artists, or, most importantly, environmental remediation that would adequately address the fact that the City has no plans to capture the additional Combined Sewer Overflow that will continue to flow into the Gowanus Canal after the rezoning.
Neither does the plan address the ever worsening floods due to climate change which have caused billion dollar disasters in coastal cities like New York.
Nothing in the proposed upzoning guarantees us new schools, better infrastructure, studios for artists, or, most importantly, environmental remediation that would adequately address the fact that the City has no plans to capture the additional Combined Sewer Overflow that will continue to flow into the Gowanus Canal after the rezoning.
Neither does the plan address the ever worsening floods due to climate change which have caused billion dollar disasters in coastal cities like New York.
Gowanus Politics; Community Approaches To Designing Sustainable and Equitable Cities
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 AT 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
2 West 13th Street, Sky Room, L12012 West 13th Street, 10011, 12th floor
Additional reading:
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10 comments:
Looking at who is not on the panel certainly frames what this discussion is pushing.
Missing: Gowanus Dredgers on water recreation and access
FROGG on historic preservation and drainage basin impacts
Riverkeeper on Clean Water and increase in sewage loads in the estuary.
Gowanus Alliance of Can Factory on arts & industry
Wondering why the "lighting" has risen in importance over those missing advocacy groups.
How will they fit more lighting into their "sustainability" claims. Or are they looking to diminish lighting in the estuary as much as possible? Light pollution impacting estuaries and oceans is a very serious environmental issue.
You got it. That’s why some community members need to be there.
As a constituent of Brad Lander, I find it unfortunate and inappropriate that his deputy chief of staff, Catherine Zinnel, will be participating. Why? This panel sounds like a maneuver to garner support for the ill-conceived Gowanus plan. At least two of the participants are furthering their own personal and pecuniary interests and do not speak for the community. I’m not sure what a lighting designer will contribute - future financial gain? If the New School wants to hear the truth, they should invite the EPA along with the organizations another poster listed above.
"Neither does the plan address the ever worsening floods due to climate change which have caused billion dollar disasters in coastal cities like New York"
Building more housing in dense, walkable, transit accessible neighborhoods like Gowanus is the most effective way to combat climate change. Every home we add to Gowanus means one more family living an urban, low-carbon lifestyle.
In a FEMA flood zone A with mandatory evacuation under today’s condition?
I ageee that urban lifestyle is greener that a suburban one, but why build housing that may not be safe in twenty, thirty years. How environmental is that?
The location chosen for this meeting shows that they don't really care if the community shows up.
Off topic, but when are the street lights getting the lenses installed? I can’t stand the LED lights that make our streets look horrible.
The fundamental premise given: "massive population displacement is forcing cities to develop areas that are scarred by 19th and 20th century industry" is by no means an established fact. DCP and Landers population growth claims are based on a limited window on census data. (This is no different than the climate change deniers who use a small window of temperature data to justify their position.)
A quick look at Brooklyn Census data at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Brooklyn shows that the POPULATION of BROOKLYN today is still LESS THAN WHAT IT WAS in the 1950 CENSUS. There have be thousands of additional housings constructed in Brooklyn since that time. Clearly there symptoms of housing costs today have more to do with other factors that numbers of housing units. By the way, the 1964 Trump Village in Coney Island added 3700 new units of housing in 23 story buildings. And thousands more have been added since.
Also if there was this “"massive population displacement” that necessitates thousands of new housing units with 25% held for lower income folks, that doesn’t necessarily mean such development should be placed in this inland-drainage-basin exposed to rising groundwater tables and sea-level rise; particularly given that, post-Sandy, City Planning saw fit to impose a down-zoning over the land at the highest-driest parts of Brooklyn, curtailing development in areas set back and well uphill from the coastline.
Katia is exactly right. Gowanus is one of the first areas in this part of Brooklyn which will face high tide flooding in decades to come. Eventually, "managed retreat" will be the theme there.
Foks,
Flood mitigation is accommodated by height. Flood prone communities have been addressing this for years and NYC is on the forefront so please stop discussing flooding as an issue. However, this week, Lander voted no against and blocked a upzoning for condos near Columbia Street.
The project was wrong on so many levels, eloquently outlined by our Boro President in his review, but Lander cared ONLY that there was no affordable housing or a $$ donation to the affordable housing fund. Our goal should be to demand an inclusion of community benefits from our Gowanus rezoning in ADDITION to the affordable housing. There's a long list of benefits asked for but not included - show up, speak and ask for a benefit!
The rezoning for Gowanus housing is happening but we have a small window of a chance to demand ONE community amenity as well this month if enough people ask!
Attend the meeting and ask for the benefit to be considered as a requirement!
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