March 3, 2026
The Honorable Shaun Abreu
Chair
New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
City Hall, New York 10007
RE: Testimony on Bilingual Street Signage
Dear Chair Abreu:
New York City has thrived because of its immigrant communities, and this is as true today as ever before. To help demarcate New York’s immigrant neighborhoods, and moreover to celebrate them — which is so important in today’s political climate — we wholeheartedly support the use of bilingual street signs as a simple first step in providing more recognition to these communities.
We at the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative — LESPI — believe that there is no greater testimony to the strength of our immigrant communities than the Lower East Side, which has served this function from the early 19th century up to and including the present day. In the past, Manhattan’s Chinatown, for one, had bilingual street signs, and since many have disappeared, we recommend that they be replaced as soon as possible. However, we advocate for expanding this effort to include immigrant communities throughout the city.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Richard D. Moses
President
Cc: The Hon. Christopher Marte, NY City Council
