Robert Hammond: Building a park in the sky

譯者: I-Hsiang Lin 審譯者: Jenny Yang

The Highline

高線

is an old, elevated rail line

是一條年代悠久的高架鐵路軌道，

that runs for a mile and a half right through Manhattan.

其路線穿越曼哈頓1.5哩。

And it was originally a freight line

這原本是一條用來運載貨物的鐵路，

that ran down 10th Ave.

鐵路路線順沿第十大道。

And it became known as "Death Avenue"

於是第十大道變成"死亡大道"。

because so many people were run over by the trains

因為很多人被火車輾過，

that the railroad hired a guy on horseback to run in front,

鐵路局雇用一位職員騎馬跑在火車前面揮旗開道，

and he became known as the "West Side Cowboy."

他是著名的"西側牛仔"。

But even with a cowboy,

但即使有了牛仔,

about one person a month

大約每個月有一個人

was killed and run over.

因被火車輾過致死。

So they elevated it.

所以鐵路局決定架高鐵路。

They built it 30 ft. in the air, right through the middle of the city.

他們在空中30呎高處建造鐵路，穿越市中心。

But with the rise of interstate trucking,

但也因為跨州運輸量提高，

it was used less and less.

鐵路使用率逐漸降低。

And by 1980, the last train rode.

最後一班火車行駛於1980年。

It was a train loaded with frozen turkeys -- they say, at Thanksgiving --

當時正值感恩節，據說火車上裝載著

from the meatpacking district.

來自肉品工業區的冷凍火雞。

And then it was abandoned.

之後鐵路就廢棄了。

And I live in the neighborhood,

我就住在附近，

and I first read about it in the New York Times,

最初在紐約時報看到報導，

in an article that said it was going to be demolished.

文章指出鐵路即將被拆除。

And I assumed someone was working

我以為有人正著手計畫

to preserve it or save it

要維護，保存鐵路。

and I could volunteer,

那我就能自告奮勇加入，

but I realized no one was doing anything.

但我發現沒有人採取任何行動。

I went to my first community board meeting --

於是我第一次參與社區委員會會議

which I'd never been to one before --

--我以前從沒有到場過--

and sat next to another guy named Joshua David,

我坐在Joshua David旁邊，

who's a travel writer.

他是位旅遊作家。

And at the end of the meeting, we realized

到會議快結束的時候，

we were the only two people that were sort of interested in the project;

我們意識到我們是唯一對此企劃感到有興趣的人，

most people wanted to tear it down.

大部分人想要拆除鐵路。

So we exchanged business cards,

於是我們交換名片，

and we kept calling each other

持續保持聯絡，

and decided to start this organization,

且決定要創立這個組織：

Friends of the High Line.

高線的朋友。

And the goal at first

最初的目標

was just saving it from demolition,

只是要保存它不被拆除，

but then we also wanted to figure out what we could do with it.

但接著我們也想釐清該如何使用它。

And what first attracted me, or interested me,

剛開始吸引我，或說是讓我感到興趣的，

was this view from the street --

是從街上觀看的景色--

which is this steel structure,

鋼鐵結構，

sort of rusty,

有點生鏽的

this industrial relic.

工業化的廢墟。

But when I went up on top,

但當我走到鐵軌上，

it was a mile and a half of wildflowers

看到的是一哩半長的野花

running right through the middle of Manhattan

遍佈於曼哈頓城中，

with views of the Empire State Building

還可看到帝國大廈，

and the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River.

自由女神像和哈德遜河。

And that's really where we started,

那才是我們真正的開始。

the idea coalesced around, let's make this a park,

這想法四處結合成長，讓我們造一座公園，

and let's have it be sort of inspired

讓這野生景色激發靈感，

by this wildscape.

促使公園生成。

At the time, there was a lot of opposition.

同時，也有很多反對聲浪，

Mayor Giuliani wanted to tear it down.

Giuliani市長要拆除它。

I'm going to fast-forward through a lot of lawsuits

我在此略過一連串訴訟

and a lot of community engagement.

和社區聚會的細節。

Mayor Bloomberg came in office, he was very supportive,

接著Bloomberg市長就任，他給予高度支持，

but we still had to make the economic case.

但我們必須提出預算。

This was after 9/11;

當時正是911事件發生後；

the city was in tough times.

這城市處於艱難時期。

So we commissioned an economic feasibility study

於是我們委外進行一項可行的預算研究，

to try to make the case.

試著達成計劃。

And it turns out, we got those numbers wrong.

結果顯示，我們估計錯誤。

We thought it would cost 100 million dollars to build.

當初預估的改造成本為一億美元。

So far it's cost about 150 million.

截至目前為止約一億五千萬美元。

And the main case was,

而提預算的重點是

this is going to make good economic sense for the city.

這將會帶給這城市良好的經濟影響。

So we said over a 20-year time period,

我們預估過了二十年後，

the value to the city in increased property values

這城市增加的房地產值

and increased taxes

和稅收的總值

would be about 250 million.

約為二億五千萬美元。

That was enough. It really got the city behind it.

當時這就足以讓這城市支持此計劃。

It turns out we were wrong on that.

結果顯示我們估計錯誤。

Now people estimate it's created about a half a billion dollars,

現在人們預估這已經創造約五億美元的價值，

or will create about a half a billion dollars,

或者將創造約五億美元的價值，

in tax revenues for the city.

這指的是城市稅收部份。

We did a design competition,

我們舉辦一個設計比賽，

selected a design team.

選出一個設計團隊。

We worked with them to really create a design

我們和此團隊合作，

that was inspired by that wildscape.

創造一個由野外景觀激發靈感的設計。

There's three sections.

公園總共分成三區。

We opened the fist section in 2009.

第一區於2009年對外開放。

It's been successful beyond our dreams.

結果比我們理想中還成功。

Last year we had about two million people,

去年參觀人數約兩百萬人，

which is about 10 times what we ever estimated.

是我們預估的十倍左右。

This is one of my favorite features in section one.

這是第一區中我最喜愛的景致之一。

It's this amphitheater right over 10th Ave.

在第十大道正上方的圓形露天劇場。

And the first section ends at 20th St. right now.

目前第一區的終點在第20街。

The other thing, it's generated, obviously, a lot of economic value;

此外，顯然公園創造很多經濟價值；

it's also inspired, I think, a lot of great architecture.

我想，它也給予很多很棒的建築靈感。

There's a point, you can stand here

你可以站在站裡，

and see buildings by Frank Gehry,

觀賞Frank Gehry，

Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban,

Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban,

Neil Denari.

和Neil Denari設計的建築。

And the Whitney is moving downtown

而且惠特尼美國藝術博物館也要遷移到城中，

and is building their new museum right at the base of the High Line.

在高線基地旁蓋新的博物館。

And this has been designed by Renzo Piano.

博物館由Renzo Piano設計。

And they're going to break ground in May.

在2011年5月動土開工。

And we've already started construction on section two.

我們也已經開始建造第二區。

This is one of my favorite features,

這是我最愛的景致之一，

this flyover where you're eight feet

這坐天橋位在高線上方

off the surface of the High Line,

八呎的空中，

running through a canopy of trees.

穿梭樹冠層間。

The High Line used to be covered in billboards,

高線過去曾被廣告牌圍繞，

and so we've taken a playful take

所以我們採用另一個好玩的觀點，

where, instead of framing advertisements,

過去用來展示廣告的框架，

it's going to frame people in views of the city.

將呈現城市中人們的風貌。

This was just installed last month.

上個月才剛完成安裝。

And then the last section was going to go around the rail yards,

至於最後環繞鐵路場這區，

which is the largest undeveloped site

是曼哈頓裡

in Manhattan.

最大的未開發區。

And the city has planned -- for better or for worse --

這城市規劃了--不論是好是歹--

12 million square-feet of development

將促進發展高線環繞的

that the High Line is going to ring around.

一千兩百萬平方米的區域。

But what really, I think, makes the High Line special

但我認為，真的使高線特別的

is the people.

是人們。

And honestly, even though I love the designs that we were building,

說實話，即使我喜愛我們當時正在建造的設計，

I was always frightened that I wouldn't really love it,

我總是害怕我不會真的喜歡改造後的成果，

because I fell in love with that wildscape --

因為我早已被原本的野生景觀所吸引--

and how could you recreate that magic?

你要如何再次創造這種魔力？

But what I found

但我發現

is it's in the people and how they use it

是人們和人們如何使用它，

that, to me, makes it so special.

對我而言，這就是高線的特別之處。

Just one quick example

舉個簡單的例子，

is I realized right after we opened

我發現就在開放之後

that there were all these people holding hands on the High Line.

很多人在高線上牽著手。

And I realized New Yorkers don't hold hands;

而我知道紐約客不牽手的，

we just don't do that outside.

我們就是不在外面做這種舉動。

But you see that happening on the High Line,

但是你在高線上看到它發生，

and I think that's the power

我想這就是一種力量，

that public space can have

公共空間可以

to transform how people experience their city

改變人們體驗城市的方式，

and interact with each other.

且和城市互動。

Thanks.

謝謝。

(Applause)

(掌聲)