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

譯者: Chiru Chang 審譯者: Sunny Kan Ngai Hang

I am passionate about the American landscape

我熱愛美國景觀

and how the physical form of the land,

還有地形

from the great Central Valley of California

從加州的中央谷地

to the bedrock of Manhattan,

到曼哈頓的岩盤

has really shaped our history and our character.

他們如何的形塑了我們的歷史與特質

But one thing is clear.

不過，我們可以非常清楚的看到

In the last 100 years alone,

在過去的100年裡

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

我們的國家 -- 這張地圖顯示了美國城市的擴張

our country has systematically

我們的國家已經有系統的

flattened and homogenized the landscape

將景觀扁平化與均質化

to the point where we've forgotten

以至於我們忘記了

our relationship with the plants and animals

與我們同住在一起的動植物

that live alongside us

還有在我們腳底下的泥土

and the dirt beneath our feet.

跟我們之間的關係

And so, how I see my work contributing

所以我把我的作品定位

is sort of trying to literally re-imagine these connections

看作是試圖對這些連結作重新的想像

and physically rebuild them.

並且實質上將它重新建造出來

This graph represents what we're dealing with now

此張圖代表我們目前

in the built environment.

人造環境正遇到的處境

And it's really a conflux

他實際上是一個

of urban population rising,

城市人口增加

biodiversity plummeting

生物多樣性急劇下降

and also, of course, sea levels rising

還有海平面上升

and climate changing.

和氣候變化的匯流

So when I also think about design,

因此，當我在作設計思考時

I think about

我會想嘗試

trying to rework and re-engage

將這個圖上的線條

the lines on this graph

以更有建設性的方式

in a more productive way.

重新連結

And you can see from the arrow here

這個的箭頭

indicating "you are here,"

標示你們目前所在的位置

I'm trying to sort of blend and meld

我有點想將都市主義

these two very divergent fields

與生態這兩個非常不同的領域

of urbanism and ecology,

混合和融合在一起

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

用一個令人興奮的新方法加以整合

So the era of big infrastructure is over.

龐大基礎設施的時代已經結束

I mean, these sort of top-down,

我的意思是，這些自上而下的

mono-functional, capital-intensive solutions

單一功能，資本密集型的解決方案

are really not going to cut it.

已經不足以解決問題

We need new tools and new approaches.

我們需要新的工具和新方法

Similarly, the idea of architecture

同樣的，把建築物

as this sort of object in the field,

當作是個與周邊毫無關係的

devoid of context,

獨立物件的這種想法

is really not the --

實在不是

excuse me, it's fairly blatant --

抱歉，這個作品實在是有夠直接

is really not the approach

實在不是

that we need to take.

解決問題的辦法

So we need new stories,

我們需要新的故事

new heroes and new tools.

新的英雄和新的工具

So now I want to introduce you to my new hero

所以，現在我想向你們介紹

in the global climate change war,

我在全球氣候變遷戰爭中的新英雄

and that is the eastern oyster.

東方牡蠣

So, albeit a very small creature

儘管這種小動物

and very modest,

看上去不太起眼

this creature is incredible,

他其實非常不可思議

because it can agglomerate

因為它可以聚集成

into these mega-reef structures.

這些大型的礁堡結構

It can grow; you can grow it;

它會生長，你也可以養殖

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

還有，我有沒有提到，它相當可口

So the oyster was the basis

因此，牡蠣就成了

for a manifesto-like urban design project

我在紐約港作的一個近乎宣言式的

that I did about the New York Harbor

都市設計案的主題

called "oyster-tecture."

我把這設計命題為“蚵築”

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

蚵築的核心思想，就是運用

of mussels, eelgrass and oysters --

貽貝、大葉藻和牡蠣等等

species that live in the harbor --

生活在海港裡的物種

and, at the same time,

的生物能

harness the power of people

同時運用

who live in the community

社區居民的力量

towards making change now.

現在就開始做些改變

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

這是我的城市，也就是紐約市的地圖

showing inundation in red.

紅色表示淹沒區

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

圈起來的就是我要談的基地位置

the Gowanus Canal and Governors Island.

Gowanus運河和總督島(Governors Island)

If you look here at this map,

如果你看這邊這張地圖

showing everything in blue

藍色

is out in the water,

代表水

and everything in yellow is upland.

黃色代表陸地

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

即使只是直觀上看這張地圖

that the harbor has dredged and flattened,

你都可以看出海港經歷過疏通並整成平地

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

在幾年之內從一個多樣、立體的鑲嵌體

in really a matter of years.

變成一個平坦的淤泥地

Another set of views of actually the Gowanus Canal itself.

另外就是Gowanus運河本身

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

目前 Gowanus運河非常臭，這點我不得不承認

There are problems of sewage overflow

運河裡有污水排入

and contamination,

與污染的問題

but I would also argue that almost every city

不過我認為幾乎每個城市

has this exact condition,

都有同樣的問題

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

這是一個我們共同面對的問題

And here's a map of that condition,

這地圖顯示了污染的狀況

showing the contaminants in yellow and green,

污染物以黃色和綠色顯示

exacerbated by this new flow of

而最近雨水暴增

storm-surge and sea-level rise.

和海平面上升使得問題加劇

So we really had a lot to deal with.

所以我們真的有很多課題需要處理

When we started this project,

當我們開始這個設計案時

one of the core ideas was to look back in history

核心思想之一就是回顧歷史

and try to understand what was there.

試圖了解這裡的過去

And you can see from this map,

你可以從這張舊地圖看到

there's this incredible geographical signature

當時在海港裡有好多

of a series of islands

不可思議的地理特徵

that were out in the harbor

包括一整系列的島嶼，

and a matrix of salt marshes and beaches

和整片可以緩衝

that served as natural wave attenuation

浪潮沖蝕陸地

for the upland settlement.

的鹽沼和海灘

We also learned at this time

當時

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

你還能從Gowanus運河中

in the Gowanus Canal itself.

捕到跟餐盤一樣大的牡蠣

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

所以我們的設計概念基本上就是要回到未來

harnessing the intelligence of that land settlement pattern.

要善用這地景形成的智慧

And the idea has two core stages.

我們的設計概念有兩個核心階段

One is to develop a new artificial ecology,

第一階段是要在海港裡建造一個

a reef out in the harbor,

新的人工生態珊瑚礁

that would then protect new settlement patterns

然後靠這個珊瑚礁保護內陸

inland and the Gowanus.

和Gowanus運河上的居民

Because if you have cleaner water and slower water,

因為如果你有流速較慢和較乾淨的水

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

就可以重新想像人與水共同生活的新方法

So the project really addresses these three core issues

所以，我認為這個計畫是用一種新的和令人興奮的方式解決

in a new and exciting way, I think.

這三個核心課題：水質、河水暴漲、和海平面上升

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

第一項，要回到我們的英雄：牡蠣

And again, it's this incredibly exciting animal.

它實在是個非常令人興奮的動物

It accepts algae and detritus in one end,

它從這一端接受藻類和有機碎屑

and through this beautiful, glamorous

通過這套美麗動人的

set of stomach organs,

消化系統

out the other end comes cleaner water.

另一端就跑出乾淨的水

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

一隻牡蠣一天可以過濾高達 50加侖的水

Oyster reefs also covered

牡蠣礁曾經占據

about a quarter of our harbor

這海港約四分之一的面積

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

幾天之內就可以把海港內的水過濾乾淨

They were key in our culture and our economy.

它們對我們的文化和經濟非常關鍵

Basically, New York was built

基本上，紐約市

on the backs of oystermen,

是靠牡蠣漁民創建的

and our streets were literally built over oyster shells.

而我們的街道也都真的建立在牡蠣殼上

This image

這張照片

is an image of an oyster cart,

是牡蠣攤

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

它當時就跟現在的熱狗攤一樣普遍

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

這樣說起來，我們現在好像過得沒有當時好

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Finally, oysters can attenuate

第二，牡蠣出生後

and agglomerate onto each other

會附著到老牡蠣的殼上

and form these amazing natural reef structures.

使得這些結構越長越大而終成天然的礁石構造

They really become nature's wave attenuators.

他們真的是大自然的消波塊

And they become the bedrock

第三，這些礁石也是

of any harbor ecosystem.

所有海港生態系統的基盤

Many, many species depend on them.

很多很多物種依賴他們生存

So we were inspired by the oyster,

我們從牡蠣身上得到靈感

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

也從牡蠣的生活史得到啟發

It can move from a fertilized egg

牡蠣從受精卵開始

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

孵化成幼蟲後漂浮在水中

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

然後在幾週後

to an adult male oyster or female oyster,

附著到另一個成熟的

in a number of weeks.

公或母牡蠣的殼上

We reinterpreted this life cycle

我們重新以人類視覺的尺度

on the scale of our sight

詮釋了這個生活史

and took the Gowanus

把Gowanus運河

as a giant oyster nursery

當作一個巨大的牡蠣的養殖場

where oysters would be grown up in the Gowanus,

讓牡蠣在運河裡孕育

then paraded down in their spat stage

在幼蟲期漂游過這些地方

and seeded out on the Bayridge Reef.

最後在 Bayridge Reef 這邊著床

And so the core idea here

設計的核心思想

was to hit the reset button

就像是按重新啟動鈕

and regenerate an ecology over time

隨著時間重新形成

that was regenerative and cleaning

一個可以再生、淨化、

and productive.

而且有生產力的生態系

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

所以這珊瑚礁到底要怎麼弄？其實非常非常簡單。

A core concept here

核心概念就是

is that climate change

我們要如何因應

isn't something that --

氣候變遷

the answers won't land down from the Moon.

答案絕不會從天上掉下來

And with a $20 billion price tag,

況且有200億美元的價值

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

我們實在應該就直接以我們現有的

and what's in front of us.

知識與資源開始工作

So this image is simply showing --

這張圖

it's a field of marine piles

是幾根海底樁

interconnected with this woven fuzzy rope.

用毛茸茸的繩索串連起來

What is fuzzy rope, you ask?

如果你要問：什麼是毛茸茸的繩索？

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

它就只是個很便宜的

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

在五金店就買得到的東西

So we imagine that we would actually

所以，我們搞不好

potentially even host a bake sale

弄個糕餅義賣活動

to start our new project.

就可以湊足經費啟動我們的新計畫

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So in the studio, rather than drawing,

所以在工作室裡，我們不是在繪圖

we began to learn how to knit.

而是開始學習如何編織

The concept was to really knit this rope together

我們的概念真的就是把這些繩子編織在一起

and develop this new soft infrastructure

發展出這個新的軟性基礎設施

for the oysters to grow on.

讓牡蠣可以在上面生長

You can see in the diagram how it grows over time

你可以在圖上看到它如何隨著時間成長

from an infrastructural space

從基礎設施慢慢發展成

into a new public urban space.

一個新的都市公共空間

And that grows over time dynamically

隨著時間，它的生長會

with the threat of climate change.

與氣候變遷的威脅作動態的回應

It also creates this incredibly interesting, I think,

它還可以創造一個非常有趣的

new amphibious public space,

新的兩棲公共空間

where you can imagine working,

在那裡你可以對工作

you can imagine recreating in a new way.

和休閒活動以嶄新的方式作些想像

In the end, what we realized we were making

到最後，我們發現我們其實是

was a new blue-green watery park

為下一個水很多的世紀

for the next watery century --

做了個新的藍綠水岸公園

an amphibious park, if you will.

一個兩棲公園

So get your Tevas on.

所以穿上你的水陸越野涼鞋

So you can imagine scuba diving here.

想像你在這裡潛水

This is an image of high school students,

這張圖是一群與我們團隊一起工作的

scuba divers that we worked with on our team.

高中學生，他們會水肺潛水

So you can imagine a sort of new manner of living

所以，你可以想像一個

with a new relationship with the water,

與水生活的新關係

and also a hybridizing of recreational and science programs

也可以把環境監測變成

in terms of monitoring.

休閒和科學的混合體

Another new vocabulary word for the brave new world:

我們為這個勇敢的新世界

this is the word "flupsy" --

創造了另一個新名詞：flupsy

it's short for "floating upwelling system."

它的是“漂浮湧升系統”的簡稱

And this glorious, readily available device

這個亮眼的、隨時可用的設施

is basically a floating raft

基本上就是一個漂浮平台

with an oyster nursery below.

下頭有個牡蠣孕育場

So the water is churned through this raft.

水會被送過這個平台的下方

You can see the eight chambers on the side

你可以看到側邊的八個小隔間

host little baby oysters and essentially force-feed them.

養育著小牡蠣，將水中的養分灌進他們嘴裡

So rather than having 10 oysters,

所以，10個牡蠣

you have 10,000 oysters.

不久就會變成10000個牡蠣

And then those spat are then seeded.

他們成熟後產卵孵出的幼蟲又會在這裡著床

Here's the Gowanus future

這就是我們想像Gowanus運河的未來

with the oyster rafts on the shorelines --

海岸線都是牡蠣平台

the flupsification of the Gowanus.

將整個Gowanus運河 “漂浮湧升化”

New word.

這是我們發明的新名詞

And also showing oyster gardening for the community

社區也可以在這邊緣

along its edges.

作牡蠣的養殖

And finally, how much fun it would be

想想看

to watch the flupsy parade

辦漂浮湧升遊行

and cheer on the oyster spats

為游泳著床的牡蠣幼蟲歡呼

as they go down to the reef.

將是多麼好玩的一件事

I get asked two questions about this project.

這個計畫我常被問兩個問題

One is: why isn't it happening now?

第一，為什麼到現在什麼都還看不出來？

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

第二，我們什麼時候才能吃到牡蠣？

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

答案是，還沒有，他們正在努力，但這得花些時間。

But we imagine, with our calculations,

不過根據我們的估算，

that by 2050,

大概到了2050年，

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

你們就可以大啖Gowanus的牡蠣

To conclude, this is just one cross-section

總而言之，這只是一個城市

of one piece of city,

的一個小小的橫斷面

but my dream is, my hope is,

但我的夢想，我的希望是

that when you all go back to your own cities

當你們回到自己的城市

that we can start to work together and collaborate

我們可以開始攜手合作

on remaking and reforming

重新改造

a new urban landscape

一個新的都市景觀

towards a more sustainable, a more livable

讓它的未來更永續、更宜居

and a more delicious future.

還有更美味

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）