How kids can help design cities | Mara Mintzer

翻译人员: Heze Ma 校对人员: Bighead Ge

Our society routinely makes decisions

我们的社会常常 在忽略1/4人口的情况下

without consulting a quarter of the population.

擅自做决定。

We're making choices about land use, energy production and natural resources

我们决定土地的使用权、 能源生产以及自然资源，

without the ideas and experiences of the full community.

却不考虑所有群体的想法和体验。

The car, an inanimate object, has more say over public policy

像汽车这种无生命的物体， 在公共政策决定上

than this group of citizens.

都比这群公民更有发言权。

Can you guess which group I'm talking about?

你们能猜到是哪个群体吗？

It's children.

是孩子们！

I work in urban design, and not surprisingly,

我从事城市设计工作， 并不奇怪的是，

most cities are designed by adults.

大部分城市城市设计者都是成人。

Urban planners, architects, developers, politicians,

城市规划师，建筑师，开发商，政客

and occasionally, a few loud citizens.

偶尔也会有一些热心的公民。

Rarely do you consider the voices of a group of four-year-olds,

你很少会考虑一群四岁孩子的想法

barely tall enough to reach the podium at city council chambers.

那些孩子的身高勉强能 够到市议会厅的演讲台。

But today, I want to ask you this:

但是今天，我想问你这个问题：

What would happen if we asked children to design our cities?

如果让我们的孩子 设计城市会发生什么呢？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Back in 2009, I was introduced to a small group of people

在2009年的时候， 我被介绍给一组人，

who wanted to start a child-friendly city initiative in Boulder, Colorado.

他们想要

在科罗拉多州博尔德市展开一项

关爱儿童的城市倡议。

I come from a family of civil rights advocates,

我来自一个倡导民权的家庭，

and I had spent my career until that point

在那时，我的职业是

working with low-income children and families.

与低收入的家庭和孩子一起工作，

But I had never heard of a child-friendly city initiative before.

但我从没听说过关爱儿童的 城市倡议。

So I figured its purpose would be to address some of the frustrations

所以我想他们的目的将是解决一些

I had encountered as the parent of a young child.

像我这样的家长在照顾小孩子时 所遇到的疑惑。

Perhaps we would advocate for more changing tables in restaurants.

也许我们会提倡在餐厅厕所里 设更多的换尿布台，

Or create indoor play spaces for those cold and rainy days.

或者在那些寒冷多雨的日子 建立室内游戏空间。

In other words, make the city more hospitable to children and families.

换而言之，让城市对孩子和家庭来说 更舒适。

It wasn't until after I committed to this project

直到我投身到这个项目，

that I realized I had it all wrong.

我才意识到自己完全错了。

We wouldn't be designing better cities for children.

我们不能给孩子设计更好的城市，

Children would be designing better cities for themselves,

孩子可以更好地 为他们自己设计城市，

and for the rest of us, too.

同时也造福我们。

Now, I bet you're skeptical about this idea.

我猜你们一定会怀疑这个想法。

And honestly, I was, too.

说真的，我以前也不相信。

I mean, there must be a reason the voting age is 18.

投票年龄设为18岁 肯定是有原因的。

(Laughter)

（笑声)

How could children possibly understand complex ideas

孩子怎么可能理解那些复杂的 设计概念？

such as the affordable housing crisis

像经济适用房危机，

or how to develop a transportation master plan?

或者如何发展交通整体规划。

And even if they had ideas, wouldn't they be childish?

即使他们有想法， 他们的想法难道不是幼稚的

Or unreasonable?

或是不切实际的吗？

Do our cities really need a park made out of candy?

我们的城市真的需要 用糖果建成的公园吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声)

Or a bridge with water cannons

或是装有水炮的大桥？

that fire water onto unsuspecting kayakers below?

向那些桥下不知情的皮艇射水？

(Laughter)

（笑声)

While these concerns sound legitimate,

虽然这些担忧貌似合理，

I realized that not including children in city planning

但是我意识到 不让孩子参与城市设计，

was a bigger design problem.

将成为设计中更大的问题。

After all, shouldn't we include end users in the design process?

毕竟，我们应该将最终使用者 考虑进设计过程中。

If we're building a park to be largely used by kids,

如果我们建一个主要 供孩子使用的公园，

then kids should have a say in the park's design.

那么孩子应该在公园设计上 有发言权。

So with all of this in mind,

所以把这些都考虑进去，

we formed a program called "Growing Up Boulder,"

我们创建了一个项目叫做 “成长博尔德”。

and my job is to work with children ages zero through 18

我的工作就是和 一群0岁到18岁的孩子们一起，

to come up with innovative city-design solutions.

想出有创意的城市规划解决方法。

How do we do this, you might ask?

你也许会问我们怎么实现这些？

Let me give you a real example.

让我给你举一个实际例子：

In 2012, the city of Boulder decided to redesign a large downtown park,

在2012年，博尔德市决定重新设计 一个大型的市中心公园

known as the Civic Area.

叫做市民区。

This space is bounded by a farmers' market on one end,

这个地方的一端是农产品市场，

Boulder Public Library on the other end,

另一端是博尔德公共图书馆，

and by Boulder Creek, which runs through the middle.

还有博尔德溪，贯穿中间。

The space needed a new design

这个地方需要一个新的设计

to better handle the creek's inevitable flash floods,

来更好的处理小溪 不可避免的洪水，

restore a sense of safety to the area

从而恢复这个地方的安全性，

and support an expanded farmers' market.

以及扩大农产品市场。

So from 2012 through 2014,

所以从2012年到2014年，

we engaged more than 200 young people in the process,

超过200位年轻人参与到这个过程中

ranging from preschool through high school students.

从学前班到高中生。

Now, how did we do this?

我们是怎么做的呢？

Let me explain.

让我来告诉你。

First, we visited children in their classrooms

首先，我们去找了教室里的孩子

and presented the project:

并且展示了我们项目。

what it was, why their ideas mattered

它是什么，为什么他们的想法 很重要

and what would happen with their recommendations.

以及有了他们的建议会发生什么。

Before we could influence them, we asked children to record their ideas,

在我们影响他们之前，

我们让孩子们根据 他们自己的生活经验

based on their own lived experiences.

写下他们的想法。

Then we asked children to go on a field trip with us,

然后我们让孩子们 和我们一起去实地考察

to document what they liked and didn't like about the space,

用摄影去记录

他们对于空间的喜欢和不喜欢。

using photography.

Through green picture frames,

通过绿色相框

students highlighted what they liked about the space,

学生们突出了他们对空间的喜爱

such as college students, tubing down the creek.

例如大学生在小溪里顺流嬉戏。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Then they flipped those frames over and used the red side

然后他们把相框反过来， 用红色的那面

to highlight things they didn't like, such as trash.

去表示他们不喜欢的东西， 比如说垃圾。

Our sixth-grade students studied the Civic Area

六年级学生学习公民区

by researching sites with similar challenges

通过研究全世界

from around the world.

有着相似挑战的地区。

Then, we invited the kids to combine their original ideas

然后，我们邀请孩子们去 整合他们最初的想法，

with their new inspiration,

用他们的灵感

to synthesize solutions to improve the space.

去合成可以改善空间的解决方法。

Each class invited adult planners, city council and community members

每个教室邀请成人策划师， 市议员和社区成员

into the classroom, to share and discuss their recommendations.

到教室去分享和讨论他们的建议。

Boulder's senior urban planners stepped over blocks and stuffed animals

博尔德的高级城市规划师 跨过积木和毛绒玩具

to explore preschool students' full-size classroom recreation of the Civic Area.

去探索学龄前学生在教室中建的 模拟公民区。

Adult planners marveled at the students' ideas

成人规划师惊叹于孩子们的想法，

as they shared a park constructed out of a jelly bracelet.

当他们分享一个由橡皮环做的公园。

It was supposed to be an ice-skating rink.

那应该是一个溜冰场。

And then, public art constructed from animal-shaped plastic beads.

还有由动物形状的塑料珠子构成的 公共艺术。

And while this may seem ridiculous,

这似乎有点荒唐，

it isn't so different from the models that architects create.

这和建筑师创造的模型其实没有太大不同

Now, fast-forward four years, and I am pleased to report

在这进展迅速的四年， 我很高兴向大家报告

that many of the children's ideas are being implemented in the Civic Area.

很多孩子的想法已经在公民区 实现啦！

For example,

比如,

there will be improved access to Boulder Creek,

博尔德小溪被改善，

so kids can play safely in the water.

所以孩子们可以在水里安全地玩耍。

Lighting in previously dark underpasses,

以前黑暗的地下通道现在装了照明

so high school students can walk home safely after school at night.

所以高中生可以晚上放学后 安全地回家。

And separated biking and walking paths,

骑车和行走的道路被分开了

so speeding bikers won't hit young people as they stroll by the creek.

所以快速骑车的人 不会撞到沿着溪边闲逛的年轻人。

My daughter and I even skated on a new, child-requested ice-skating rink,

在去年冬天，

我女儿和我甚至在一个新的， 孩子们提议的滑冰场滑冰

last winter.

So, were all of the kids' ideas implemented at the Civic Area?

但是，所有孩子的想法 都被实现了吗？

Of course not.

当然没有!

Democracy is a messy process.

民主是一个

复杂的过程。

But just as a reasonable and well-informed adult

但正如一个通情达理见多识广 的成年人一样，

does not expect all of her ideas to be utilized,

她知道，不是所有的理想都会实现，

neither does a nine-year-old.

更不用说一个九岁的孩子。

We've now been using this process for eight years,

我们现在已经用这个方法八年了。

and along the way, we've found some incredible benefits

在这些年里，我们发现了很多 与孩子一起

to designing cities with children.

设计城市的难以置信的优点。

First of all, kids think differently from adults.

首先，孩子们和大人们想的不一样，

And that's a good thing.

这是一个好事情。

Adults think about constraints,

成年人考虑约束条件，

how much time will a project take,

实施一个项目要花多少时间，

how much money will it cost and how dangerous will it be.

成本是多少，项目有多危险。

In other words, "Are we going to get sued?"

换而言之，“我们会被起诉吗？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's not that these constraints aren't real,

不是说这些约束不存在，

but if we kill off ideas from the beginning,

但如果我们从一开始 就扼杀各种想法，

it limits our creativity and dampens the design process.

它就限制我们的创造力 并且削弱设计过程。

Kids, on the other hand, think about possibilities.

然而，孩子们考虑的是可能性。

For kids, the sky is the limit.

对于孩子们来说， 天空才是极限

Literally.

当然是字面意思。

When we worked with middle-school students to design teen-friendly parks,

当我们和中学生一起设计 对青少年有利的公园时

they drew pictures of skydiving, hang gliding,

他们画了跳伞，滑翔。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

and jumping from trampolines into giant foam pits.

从蹦床跳进巨大的泡沫坑。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Some of this sounds far-fetched,

有一些听起来很牵强，

but the commonalities among the activities revealed an important story.

但这些活动的共同点 揭示了一个重要的道理：

Our adolescents wanted thrill-seeking opportunities.

我们的青少年想要 寻求刺激的机会。

Which makes perfect sense, given their developmental stage in life.

鉴于他们处在人生的发展阶段， 这确实是有道理的。

So our task, as connectors between inspiration and reality,

所以作为灵感和现实的连接器， 我们的任务

was to point them towards activities and equipment

就是能够给他们 提供可以安装在公园里的

that actually could be installed in a park.

活动和器材。

This is exactly what parks in Australia have done,

这就是澳大利亚公园在做的事情：

with their extensive zip lines and their 30-foot-tall climbing towers.

公园里有宽大的高空滑索以及 30英尺高的攀爬塔。

When kids dream up a space,

当孩子们梦想一个空间时

they almost always include fun, play and movement in their designs.

他们永远都会把乐趣、 玩耍以及运动包含在他们的设计中。

Now, this is not what adults prioritize.

现在，这不是成年人 优先考虑的问题，

But research shows that fun, play and movement

然而研究表明乐趣、玩耍以及运动

are exactly what adults need to stay healthy, too.

也正是成年人保持健康的方法。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Who wouldn't enjoy a tree house containing a little lending library

谁不喜欢一个有着 借阅图书馆的树屋呢？

and comfortable beanbag chairs for reading?

以及用来阅读的懒人沙发呢？

Or what about a public art display

或者有一个公共的艺术展览？

that sprays paint onto a canvas each time you walk up the steps?

每次你走上台阶的时候， 就会有油漆喷到画布上。

In addition to fun and play, children value beauty in their designs.

除了乐趣和玩耍， 孩子们的设计很重视美观。

When tasked with designing dense affordable housing,

当设计密集的经济适用房的时候，

kids rejected the blocks of identical, beige condominiums

孩子们不喜欢单一的米黄色的公寓，

so many developers favor,

而那是很多成年设计者很喜欢的。

and instead, put bright colors on everything,

相反，孩子们喜欢把鲜艳的颜色 放到所有物体上

from housing to play equipment.

从房子到游乐设施。

They placed flowers between biking and walking paths,

他们把花朵放在骑车道和 人行道的中间，

and placed benches along the creek,

沿着小溪放置长椅。

so kids could hang out with their friends

所以孩子们可以和朋友出去玩

and enjoy the tranquility of the water.

然后享受溪水的平静，

Which leads me to nature.

让人能够亲近大自然。

Children have a biological need to connect with nature,

孩子对大自然有着 天生的需求，

and this shows up in their designs.

这出现在他们的设计中。

They want nature right in their backyards,

他们想要大自然在他们的后花园里，

not four blocks away.

而不是在四个街区之外。

So they design communities that incorporate water,

所以他们设计的社区的公共区域中，

fruit trees, flowers and animals into their common spaces on site.

有水，果树、花朵以及动物。

For better or worse, this is logical,

无论好坏，这些想法是有逻辑的。

because five-year-olds today are rarely allowed to walk four blocks

因为五岁的孩子很少被允许 独自走过四个街区

to access a park by themselves.

去一个公园。

And nature in one's immediate environment benefits everyone,

周围的自然环境会让所有人受益，

since it has been shown to have restorative effects for all ages.

因为它已经被证明对 所有年龄段的人都有恢复作用。

It may come as a surprise,

这也许是一个惊喜

but we even take into consideration the desires or our littlest citizens,

但我们甚至考虑到了 我们小公民的想法

babies and toddlers.

宝宝和幼儿。

From toddlers, we learned that the joy of walking

从幼儿身上，我们学到了走路的乐趣

comes from what you discover along the way.

来自于沿途你发现的东西。

When they evaluated the walkability of Boulder's 19th Street corridor,

当孩子们评估博尔德 第19街走廊的可步行性时，

toddlers spent long stretches exploring leaves in a ditch

他们花了很长时间在 探索沟渠里的树叶

and sparkles in the sidewalk.

以及人行道上的闪闪小物。

They reminded us to slow down

他们提醒我们慢下来

and design a path where the journey is as important as the destination.

然后设计一条旅程与终点同等重要的 道路。

In addition to trees and plants,

除了树和植物，

kids almost always include animals in their designs.

几乎所有孩子都会把动物 包含在他们的设计中。

Insects, birds and small mammals

昆虫，鸟类以及其他小型哺乳动物，

figure prominently into children's pictures.

在孩子们的照片中占有显著地位。

Whether it's because they're closer to the ground

是否是因为他们离大地更近

and can see the grasshoppers better than we can,

所以比我们更能看见蚱蜢

or simply because they have a greater sense of empathy for other beings,

或者只是因为他们 对其他众生有更大的同情心？

children almost always include non-human species in their ideal worlds.

孩子永远会把非人类物种 放进他们理想中的世界。

Across the board, children are inclusive in their city planning.

在整个过程中， 儿童在城市规划中具有包容性。

They design for everyone, from their grandmother in a wheelchair

他们的设计考虑了所有人， 从坐轮椅的奶奶

to the homeless woman they see sleeping in the park.

到在公园里睡觉的 无家可归的女人。

Children design for living creatures,

孩子们为世间生灵设计

not for cars, egos or corporations.

而不是为了车，自我，或是公司。

The last and perhaps most compelling discovery we made

最后也许是我们发现的 最引人注目的点是：

is that a city friendly to children is a city friendly to all.

对儿童友好的城市其实 就是对所有人友好的城市。

Bogota, Colombia mayor Enrique Peñalosa

哥伦比亚首都波哥大的市长 恩里克·佩纳罗萨

observed that children are a kind of indicator species.

发现孩子是一种指示物种。

If we can build a successful city for children,

如果我们可以给孩子 建一个成功的城市

we will have a successful city for all people.

我们将会有一个对所有人来说 都是成功的城市。

Think about it.

想一下，

Kids can't just hop in a car and drive to the store.

孩子们不能跳上车然后开车去商店，

And most kids can't afford an expensive lunch at the nearby cafe.

大多数孩子也买不起 附近咖啡馆里昂贵的午餐。

So if we build cities that take into the consideration

所以如果我们设计城市时考虑到

their needs for alternative forms of transportation

他们对替代交通

and for cheaper food venues,

以及更便宜的美食场所的需求，

we meet the needs of many other populations, too.

我们也满足了很多其他年龄段的人 的需求。

The more frequent and more affordable bus service,

我们年轻人所希望的更频繁 且更实惠的

so desired by our youth,

公共汽车服务，

also supports the elderly who wish to live independently,

也是那些希望独立生活的老人 所需要的，

after they can no longer drive cars.

因为他们不能再开车了。

Teens' recommendations for smooth, protected walking and skateboarding paths

青少年们对轮滑与滑板路径的建议

also support the person in a wheelchair who wishes to go smoothly down the path,

也适用那些依赖轮椅的人，

or the parent pushing a new stroller.

还有那些推着新的婴儿车的父母。

So to me, all of this has revealed something important.

所以对我来说， 这些都揭示了一些重要的东西，

An important blind spot.

一个重要的盲点：

If we aren't including children in our planning,

如果我们不把孩子 考虑进我们的设计

who else aren't we including?

我们还在忽略谁？

Are we listening to people of color, immigrants,

我们有在倾听有色人种，移民

the elderly and people with disabilities, or with reduced incomes?

老人，残疾人， 还是收入减少的人吗？

What innovative design solutions are we overlooking,

我们忽略了哪些创新设计？

because we aren't hearing the voices of the full community?

因为我们没有听整个社区的声音，

We can't possibly know the needs and wants of other people

如果我们不发声询问，

without asking.

就无法知道其他人的需求，

That goes for kids and for everyone else.

这适用于孩子和其他所有人。

So, adults, let's stop thinking of our children as future citizens

所以大人们，让我们不要把孩子 再当成未来的公民了，

and instead, start valuing them for the citizens they are today.

相反，开始把他们当成 今天的公民来重视他们。

Because our children

因为我们的孩子，

are designing the cities that will make us happier and healthier.

在设计一个让我们更快乐， 更健康的城市，

Cities filled with nature, play, movement, social connection and beauty.

一个充满自然、玩耍、运动、 社会关系以及美观的城市

Children are designing the cities we all want to live in.

孩子们在设计一个 我们都想生活的城市。

Thank you.

谢谢大家！

(Applause)

（掌声）