Stewart Brand: Why squatter cities are a good thing

譯者: Albert Liang 審譯者: Marie Wu

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

基本上，人口分佈正劇烈地改變，

And it may be that passing the 50 percent urban point

有超過百分之五十的人口居住在城市裡，

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

這是一個經濟轉折點。所以現在的世界地圖是整個連接在一起的。

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

曾幾何時巴黎、倫敦和紐約是最大的都市。

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

現在西方世界的發展已告終了。結束了。

The aggregate numbers are overwhelming.

整體人口數字非常驚人。

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

所以現在到底發生了什麼事?嗯，世界上農村的人口都在外移。

The question is, why?

但問題是為什麼?

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

而不太浪漫的答案是--在文藝復興期間的德國他們如此說：

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

城市裡的氣氛使你自由。所以人們前往像

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

上海之類的地方，但多數卻是擠進貧民窟，那裡有自己的審美觀，

And these are not really a people oppressed by poverty.

而且那裡沒有人真正受貧窮壓迫，

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

這些人正以最快的速度脫離貧窮。

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

他們是城市最主要的建造者，甚至也是最主要的設計者，

They have home-brewed infrastructure and vibrant urban life.

他們有自製的公共建設，還有充滿活力的都市生活，

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

印度有六分之一的國內生產總值來自孟買，

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

他們不斷地改善生活品質，有少部份還得到政府補助。

Education is the main event that can happen in cities.

接受教育是居住在城市裡的重要原因，

What's going on in the street in Mumbai?

在孟買的街上會發生什麼事呢?

Al Gore knows. It's basically everything.

天知道。基本上什麼事都有可能發生。

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

在非法營地或貧民窟裡沒有失業問題，每一個人都在工作。

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

有六分之一的人口居住在這些地方，而且還會持續地增加。

So here's the first punch line:

所以第一個重點是：

cities have defused the population bomb.

城市解決了人口爆炸的問題。

And here's the second punch line.

第二的重點是：

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

這是從城市發出來的光芒。從太空拍攝到的影像。

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

星辰已照耀大地數十億年了，

Now we're shining right back up.

現在該是我們發射光芒的時候了。

Thank you.

謝謝。