Reviving New York's rivers -- with oysters! | Kate Orff

翻译人员: Cheng Bi 校对人员: Xiaoqiao Xie

I am passionate about the American landscape

我热爱美国的山河

and how the physical form of the land,

也热爱我们的地貌

from the great Central Valley of California

从加州的中央山谷...

to the bedrock of Manhattan,

到曼哈顿地底基岩

has really shaped our history and our character.

地貌塑造了我们的历史与品性

But one thing is clear.

但很明显

In the last 100 years alone,

就在过去百年内

our country -- and this is a sprawl map of America --

我们…这是美国城市扩张图...

our country has systematically

我们有计划地改造自然

flattened and homogenized the landscape

地表削平，多样性消失

to the point where we've forgotten

结果我们忘记了...

our relationship with the plants and animals

与周围动植物的关系

that live alongside us

也忘记了...

and the dirt beneath our feet.

与脚下土地的关系

And so, how I see my work contributing

我工作的意义在于

is sort of trying to literally re-imagine these connections

尝试重新构想这些关系

and physically rebuild them.

并将其重新建立

This graph represents what we're dealing with now

此图表示这个人工环境...

in the built environment.

为我们带来了哪些问题

And it's really a conflux

问题确实很多

of urban population rising,

城市人口增长

biodiversity plummeting

生物多样性丧失

and also, of course, sea levels rising

当然还有海平面上升

and climate changing.

以及气候变化

So when I also think about design,

所以我考虑设计方案时

I think about

就会去思考

trying to rework and re-engage

如何发挥创意

the lines on this graph

改变这些曲线

in a more productive way.

改善这些问题

And you can see from the arrow here

图上的箭头

indicating "you are here,"

代表现在这个时间点

I'm trying to sort of blend and meld

城市化与生态学...

these two very divergent fields

可以说泾渭分明

of urbanism and ecology,

我试着将二者合而为一

and sort of bring them together in an exciting new way.

以崭新的方式融合到一起

So the era of big infrastructure is over.

大搞基建的时代结束了

I mean, these sort of top-down,

这种大工程由政府牵头

mono-functional, capital-intensive solutions

功能单一，耗资巨大

are really not going to cut it.

实在解决不了问题

We need new tools and new approaches.

我们需要新工具、新方法

Similarly, the idea of architecture

建筑理念也是如此

as this sort of object in the field,

就像这种东西

devoid of context,

根本不考虑周围景观

is really not the --

绝对无法...

excuse me, it's fairly blatant --

不好意思

is really not the approach

这东西太扎眼了...

that we need to take.

我们不需要这种东西

So we need new stories,

因此我们要构建新理念

new heroes and new tools.

引入新角色，采用新工具

So now I want to introduce you to my new hero

下面我就给大家介绍

in the global climate change war,

帮我们对抗气候变化的英雄

and that is the eastern oyster.

它就是美东牡蛎

So, albeit a very small creature

别看它个儿小

and very modest,

一点也不起眼

this creature is incredible,

本事可是十分惊人

because it can agglomerate

因为牡蛎能聚到一起

into these mega-reef structures.

形成巨大的礁状结构

It can grow; you can grow it;

能够增殖，所以可以养殖

and -- did I mention? -- it's quite tasty.

忘了说了，它味道也挺好

So the oyster was the basis

我在纽约港做了一个项目

for a manifesto-like urban design project

算是宣示我的城市设计理念

that I did about the New York Harbor

这个项目就以牡蛎为基础

called "oyster-tecture."

叫做“蛎之理”

And the core idea of oyster-tecture is to harness the biological power

“蛎之理”的核心理念在于

of mussels, eelgrass and oysters --

借助贻贝、鳗草、牡蛎

species that live in the harbor --

借各种港口水生生物的力量

and, at the same time,

与此同时

harness the power of people

也借助当地居民的力量

who live in the community

共同努力

towards making change now.

改变现在的环境

Here's a map of my city, New York City,

这是我家乡纽约市的地图

showing inundation in red.

红色区域是被水淹没的部分

And what's circled is the site that I'm going to talk about,

圈住的部分是我要讲的...

the Gowanus Canal and Governors Island.

郭瓦纳斯运河和总督岛

If you look here at this map,

请看这张地图

showing everything in blue

蓝色的部分...

is out in the water,

都属于水域

and everything in yellow is upland.

黄色的部分是陆地

But you can see, even just intuit, from this map,

凭直觉大家就能看出

that the harbor has dredged and flattened,

纽约港本来多样而立体

and went from a rich, three-dimensional mosaic to flat muck

疏浚平整后却成了烂泥一堆

in really a matter of years.

这都是在短短几年内发生的

Another set of views of actually the Gowanus Canal itself.

再看几张运河的实景图

Now the Gowanus is particularly smelly -- I will admit it.

我得承认，现在运河臭得很

There are problems of sewage overflow

污水过度排放

and contamination,

水体污染

but I would also argue that almost every city

但是我也得说

has this exact condition,

几乎每个城市都有这种情况

and it's a condition that we're all facing.

大家都面临这个问题

And here's a map of that condition,

此图反映的就是这个问题

showing the contaminants in yellow and green,

黄色绿色代表污染物

exacerbated by this new flow of

由于风暴潮、海水上升

storm-surge and sea-level rise.

污染更加恶化

So we really had a lot to deal with.

所以说我们问题确实很多

When we started this project,

我们开始做这个项目时

one of the core ideas was to look back in history

一个核心理念就是回顾历史

and try to understand what was there.

了解过去发生了什么

And you can see from this map,

这是1770年的地图

there's this incredible geographical signature

大自然的鬼斧神工

of a series of islands

在图上清晰可见

that were out in the harbor

既有港外的一连串岛屿

and a matrix of salt marshes and beaches

又有纵横交错的盐沼滩涂

that served as natural wave attenuation

对于陆上居民来说

for the upland settlement.

盐沼滩涂是天然防波堤

We also learned at this time

我们还了解到

that you could eat an oyster about the size of a dinner plate

当时运河产的牡蛎

in the Gowanus Canal itself.

足有餐碟那么大

So our concept is really this back-to-the-future concept,

因此我们的理念是“回到未来”

harnessing the intelligence of that land settlement pattern.

汲取前人建筑方面的智慧

And the idea has two core stages.

这一理念要分两步走

One is to develop a new artificial ecology,

第一要发展人工生态学

a reef out in the harbor,

港外要有礁石

that would then protect new settlement patterns

这样可以保护运河

inland and the Gowanus.

保护内陆新建居民区

Because if you have cleaner water and slower water,

如果水质改善，水流减缓

you can imagine a new way of living with that water.

人与水就能以全新方式共存

So the project really addresses these three core issues

我们想创造性解决三个核心问题

in a new and exciting way, I think.

水质、风暴潮、海水上升

Here we are, back to our hero, the oyster.

现在回到环保英雄牡蛎身上

And again, it's this incredibly exciting animal.

这种动物真是不可思议

It accepts algae and detritus in one end,

从一端吸入藻类腐屑

and through this beautiful, glamorous

再经过它神奇的消化器官

set of stomach organs,

最后从另一端排除的...

out the other end comes cleaner water.

却是净化了的水

And one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day.

一只牡蛎一天能过滤189升水

Oyster reefs also covered

纽约港的¼...

about a quarter of our harbor

都有牡蛎礁覆盖

and were capable of filtering water in the harbor in a matter of days.

几天就能滤好全港的水

They were key in our culture and our economy.

我们的文化和经济都离不开牡蛎

Basically, New York was built

基本上纽约的缔造者

on the backs of oystermen,

就是采牡蛎的人

and our streets were literally built over oyster shells.

街道都铺在牡蛎壳上

This image

这张图呢

is an image of an oyster cart,

是卖牡蛎的小车

which is now as ubiquitous as the hotdog cart is today.

现在跟热狗摊一样到处都有

So again, we got the short end of the deal there.

本来是好好的东西

(Laughter)

我们却只拿来填饱肚子

Finally, oysters can attenuate

最后，牡蛎可以将身体...

and agglomerate onto each other

变得稀薄，互相粘合

and form these amazing natural reef structures.

形成这些惊人的天然礁石

They really become nature's wave attenuators.

它是大自然的防波堤

And they become the bedrock

而对所有港口而言

of any harbor ecosystem.

它又是生态系统的基石

Many, many species depend on them.

许许多多物种都依存于牡蛎

So we were inspired by the oyster,

牡蛎启发了我们的项目

but I was also inspired by the life cycle of the oyster.

但其生命周期也给了我新灵感

It can move from a fertilized egg

几个星期之内

to a spat, which is when they're floating through the water,

牡蛎就能从受精卵变成...

and when they're ready to attach onto another oyster,

到处漂游的幼体

to an adult male oyster or female oyster,

随时可以互相粘合

in a number of weeks.

再变成成年的雌雄个体

We reinterpreted this life cycle

我们以人类的视野范围

on the scale of our sight

重新解读其生命周期

and took the Gowanus

整条郭瓦纳斯运河

as a giant oyster nursery

可看成巨型牡蛎育儿所

where oysters would be grown up in the Gowanus,

牡蛎在运河里长大

then paraded down in their spat stage

幼年阶段循流而下

and seeded out on the Bayridge Reef.

然后再在湾脊礁繁殖

And so the core idea here

因此我们的核心概念

was to hit the reset button

就是从头开始

and regenerate an ecology over time

逐渐重建生态系统

that was regenerative and cleaning

创造清洁可再生...

and productive.

又生机勃勃的环境

How does the reef work? Well, it's very, very simple.

那么牡蛎礁的原理是什么呢？

A core concept here

非常非常简单

is that climate change

其中一个核心概念就是

isn't something that --

要想解决气候变化问题

the answers won't land down from the Moon.

就不能等着天上掉馅饼

And with a $20 billion price tag,

与其花200亿美元

we should simply start and get to work with what we have now

不如利用现有资源

and what's in front of us.

从现在做起，从眼前做起

So this image is simply showing --

这是一大片防波桩

it's a field of marine piles

连接桩子的是

interconnected with this woven fuzzy rope.

这种毛绒绒的编织绳

What is fuzzy rope, you ask?

你可能会问这是什么绳

It's just that; it's this very inexpensive thing,

其实是很平常的东西

available practically at your hardware store, and it's very cheap.

一般五金店就能买到，很便宜

So we imagine that we would actually

试想一下

potentially even host a bake sale

我们自个儿烤些蛋糕卖

to start our new project.

卖了的钱就够我们开项目了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So in the studio, rather than drawing,

我们在工作室里不画图纸

we began to learn how to knit.

而是学怎么编绳子

The concept was to really knit this rope together

把绳子编好

and develop this new soft infrastructure

就可以为牡蛎的生长

for the oysters to grow on.

提供崭新柔软的温床

You can see in the diagram how it grows over time

这幅图大家可以看到

from an infrastructural space

这项工程如何渐渐演变为

into a new public urban space.

全新的城市公共空间

And that grows over time dynamically

它可以因应气候变化

with the threat of climate change.

不断发展变化

It also creates this incredibly interesting, I think,

同时这项工程也孕育了...

new amphibious public space,

这个跨水陆的新型公共空间

where you can imagine working,

这样人们的工作休闲

you can imagine recreating in a new way.

都会以全新方式进行

In the end, what we realized we were making

我们最后发觉这项工程...

was a new blue-green watery park

其实是新型的“蓝绿”水上公园

for the next watery century --

专为下一个水世纪打造

an amphibious park, if you will.

可以叫做“两栖公园”

So get your Tevas on.

穿好凉鞋来这儿享受吧！

So you can imagine scuba diving here.

想象一下你可以在这里潜水

This is an image of high school students,

这是一群高中生，准备潜水

scuba divers that we worked with on our team.

这项工程他们也参与其中

So you can imagine a sort of new manner of living

大家可以想象一种全新生活方式

with a new relationship with the water,

人与水之间建立全新的关系

and also a hybridizing of recreational and science programs

同时一举两得

in terms of monitoring.

把休闲娱乐和科研监测结合起来

Another new vocabulary word for the brave new world:

在这个美丽的新世界里

this is the word "flupsy" --

还有个新玩意——上飘器

it's short for "floating upwelling system."

这是“上涌飘浮器”的简称

And this glorious, readily available device

这种装置很棒很简易

is basically a floating raft

基本就是个飘浮的筏子

with an oyster nursery below.

牡蛎在底下生长

So the water is churned through this raft.

海水搅动，流过筏子

You can see the eight chambers on the side

边上有八个箱子养殖牡蛎

host little baby oysters and essentially force-feed them.

并强行给它们喂食

So rather than having 10 oysters,

这样我们牡蛎的数量

you have 10,000 oysters.

不是十个八个，而是上万

And then those spat are then seeded.

然后牡蛎又可以繁殖

Here's the Gowanus future

运河的未来是这样的

with the oyster rafts on the shorelines --

河岸有这种筏子

the flupsification of the Gowanus.

用我们的话说

New word.

就是“上飘化”

And also showing oyster gardening for the community

当地居民可以在河边看到

along its edges.

牡蛎的养殖过程

And finally, how much fun it would be

想想看，到时候

to watch the flupsy parade

满河尽是木筏荡漾

and cheer on the oyster spats

小牡蛎沿河而下去筑礁

as they go down to the reef.

我们在岸上欢呼，多好玩啊！

I get asked two questions about this project.

有人问过我两个问题

One is: why isn't it happening now?

一是何时能看到你们的成果

And the second one is: when can we eat the oysters?

二是什么时候能吃上牡蛎

And the answer is: not yet, they're working.

我的回答是，耐心地等一等

But we imagine, with our calculations,

但我们计算过

that by 2050,

可能到了2050年

you might be able to sink your teeth into a Gowanus oyster.

大家就能享用牡蛎了

To conclude, this is just one cross-section

总而言之，我所讲到的

of one piece of city,

只是一座城市的一个剖面

but my dream is, my hope is,

而我的梦想与希望在于

that when you all go back to your own cities

大家回到各自家乡以后

that we can start to work together and collaborate

我们能携起手来

on remaking and reforming

同心协力

a new urban landscape

改造重建城市景观

towards a more sustainable, a more livable

打造一个更符合可持续发展观...

and a more delicious future.

更宜居、还有美味可以享用的未来！

Thank you.

谢谢大家

(Applause)

（掌声）