Stewart Brand: Why squatter cities are a good thing

翻译人员: Tony Yet 校对人员: Zachary Lin Zhao

Basically, there's a major demographic event going on.

如今有一个非常重要的地理转折正在发生

And it may be that passing the 50 percent urban point

这就是居住在城市的人口超过了半数

is an economic tipping point. So the world now is a map of connectivity.

这是一个经济转折点。如今的世界就是一个相互链接的世界。

It used to be that Paris and London and New York were the largest cities.

过去，巴黎、伦敦和纽约曾经是世界最大的城市

What we have now is the end of the rise of the West. That's over.

而现在西方的崛起已经走到了尽头

The aggregate numbers are overwhelming.

城市里的人口总数是惊人的

So what's really going on? Well, villages of the world are emptying out.

那到底发生了什么事情呢？你看，世界各地的村子都没人了

The question is, why?

但我们希望知道为什么会发生这样的事情？

And here's the unromantic truth -- and the city air makes you free,

事实是：城市能带给人更多的自由

they said in Renaissance Germany. So some people go to places

在文艺复兴时期德国人的看法

like Shanghai but most go to the squatter cities where aesthetics rule.

现在人们涌向上海那样的城市，但大多数搬到城市的人都是住进了贫民区

And these are not really a people oppressed by poverty.

他们不是被贫困所迫而住到那样的地方

They're people getting out of poverty as fast as they can.

他们正在以最快的速度摆脱贫困呢

They're the dominant builders and to a large extent, the dominant designers.

他们是城市的主要建筑者，甚至可以说是城市的主要设计师

They have home-brewed infrastructure and vibrant urban life.

他们所使用的基础设施都是自己搞起来的，过的也是非常丰富的都市生活

One-sixth of the GDP in India is coming out of Mumbai.

印度1/6的国内生产总值都是来自孟买

They are constantly upgrading, and in a few cases, the government helps.

贫民区里居住的人在不断的升级现有的生活条件。政府只是在少数情况下参与其间

Education is the main event that can happen in cities.

在城市里可以享受得到教育

What's going on in the street in Mumbai?

那么在孟买的街头会发生些什么事呢？

Al Gore knows. It's basically everything.

戈尔想必是知道的。那里什么事情都在发生

There's no unemployment in squatter cities. Everyone works.

在贫民区，没有失业这一回事。每个人都在工作。

One-sixth of humanity is there. It's soon going to be more than that.

世界有1/6人口生活在那样的地方，未来这一数字还将上升

So here's the first punch line:

这是我要讲的第一个要点

cities have defused the population bomb.

城市成为了人口爆炸的缓冲器

And here's the second punch line.

这是第二点

That's the news from downtown. Here it is in perspective.

这是来自城市的声音。这是从太空看到的图景

Stars have shined down on earth's life for billions of years.

亿万年来，星光照耀着大地

Now we're shining right back up.

现在，轮到我们用光亮照耀天际了

Thank you.

谢谢大家