How cohousing can make us happier (and live longer) | Grace Kim

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 潘 可儿

Loneliness.

寂寞

All of us in this room will experience loneliness

在場的每一個人都會 在人生中的某個時點

at some point in our lives.

經歷到寂寞

Loneliness is not a function of being alone,

寂寞並不是獨處的結果

but rather, a function of how socially connected you are

相反，寂寞體現了你和身邊的人

to those around you.

在社交層面上的連結有多強

There could be somebody in this room right now

現在這裡就可能有人

surrounded by a thousand people

雖然被數以千計的人圍繞

experiencing loneliness.

但卻經歷著寂寞

And while loneliness can be attributed to many things,

雖然造成寂寞的原因很多

as an architect,

身為建築師

I'm going to tell you today how loneliness can be the result

今天我要告訴各位的是 我們建立的環境

of our built environments --

我們選擇居住的家

the very homes we choose to live in.

如何會造成寂寞

Let's take a look at this house.

我們來看看這間房子

It's a nice house.

這是間很棒的房子

There's a big yard, picket fence,

有大庭院、尖木梉圍籬

two-car garage.

可停兩台車的車庫

And the home might be in a neighborhood like this.

它所處的街坊可能是這個樣子的

And for many people around the globe,

對全球各地的許多人而言

this home, this neighborhood --

這個家、這個街坊

it's a dream.

是他們的夢想

And yet the danger of achieving this dream

但，實現這個夢想的危險是

is a false sense of connection

一種虛假的連結感

and an increase in social isolation.

以及社會隔離增加

I know, I can hear you now,

我知道，我能聽見

there's somebody in the room screaming at me inside their head,

這裡有人在腦海中對我大叫：

"That's my house, and that's my neighborhood,

「那是我的房子，那是我的街坊，

and I know everyone on my block!"

且我認識我那個街區中的每個人！」

To which I would answer, "Terrific!"

我對此的回答會是：「非常好！」

And I wish there were more people like you,

我希望能有更多人像你一樣

because I'd wager to guess there's more people in the room

因為我敢大膽猜測 在這裡有更多人

living in a similar situation

住在類似的地點

that might not know their neighbors.

卻可能不認識他們的鄰居

They might recognize them and say hello,

他們可能會認得鄰居並打招呼

but under their breath,

但他們會偷偷地

they're asking their spouse,

問另一半：

"What was their name again?"

「能否再告訴我一次 他們叫什麼名字？」

so they can ask a question by name to signify they know them.

這樣他們才能 在問鄰居問題時加上名字

以顯示自己認得他們

Social media also contributes to this false sense of connection.

社交媒體也是這種虛假連結感的成因

This image is probably all too familiar.

這張圖片可能非常眼熟

You're standing in the elevator,

你站在電梯裡

sitting in a cafe,

坐在咖啡廳中

and you look around,

你看向四周

and everyone's on their phone.

每個人都在用手機

You're not texting or checking Facebook,

你沒有在傳訊息或是看臉書

but everyone else is,

但其他所有人都在這麼做

and maybe, like me, you've been in a situation

也許，你們也有遇過 跟我一樣的情況

where you've made eye contact,

當你和別人做眼神接觸時

smiled and said hello,

你微笑並打招呼

and have that person yank out their earbuds

而對方馬上扯下他的耳機

and say, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

說：「對不起，你剛剛說什麼？」

I find this incredibly isolating.

我覺得這種狀況非常有孤離感

The concept I'd like to share with you today

今天我想呈現給大家的概念

is an antidote to isolation.

是孤離的解藥

It's not a new concept.

它不是個新概念

In fact, it's an age-old way of living,

事實上，它是由來已久的生活方式

and it still exists in many non-European cultures

它仍然存在於全世界許多

around the world.

非歐洲文化中

And about 50 years ago,

大約 50 年前

the Danes decided to make up a new name,

丹麥人決定要為這個概念 造出一個新名字

and since then,

此後

tens of thousands of Danish people have been living in this connected way.

數以萬計的丹麥人就一直沿襲 這種連結的方式生活著

And it's being pursued more widely around the globe

而在全球有更多在尋求社區的人群

as people are seeking community.

在追求這個概念

This concept

這個概念

is cohousing.

就是共宅（cohousing）

Cohousing is an intentional neighborhood where people know each other

共宅是一種有意圖的鄰坊 在這裡人們彼此認識

and look after one another.

並彼此照顧

In cohousing, you have your own home,

在共宅中，你有你自己的家

but you also share significant spaces, both indoors and out.

但大家也共享大量的 室內和室外空間

Before I show you some pictures of cohousing,

在我給大家看一些共宅的照片之前

I'd like to first introduce you to my friends Sheila and Spencer.

我想先介紹我的朋友席菈和史賓賽

When I first met Sheila and Spencer, they were just entering their 60s,

我初次見到席菈和史賓賽時 他們才六十多歲

and Spencer was looking ahead at the end of a long career

史賓賽在初等教育的職涯

in elementary education.

即將告一段落

And he really disliked the idea

他真的很不希望

that he might not have children in his life

在退休時他的人生中

upon retirement.

沒有任何孩子

They're now my neighbors.

他們現在是我的鄰居

We live in a cohousing community that I not only designed,

我們住在一個

but developed

融入了我建築實踐的

and have my architecture practice in.

由我設計和開發的社區

This community is very intentional about our social interactions.

這個社區很注重社交互動

So let me take you on a tour.

讓我帶大家逛一圈

From the outside, we look like any other small apartment building.

從外觀來看，我們和 任何其他公寓建築沒兩樣

In fact, we look identical to the one next door,

事實上，我們和隔壁棟一模一樣

except that we're bright yellow.

只差在我們的顏色是亮黃色

Inside, the homes are fairly conventional.

這些家的內部都很傳統

We all have living rooms and kitchens,

我們都有客廳、廚房

bedrooms and baths,

臥房、浴室

and there are nine of these homes around a central courtyard.

在中央天井周圍 有九間這樣子的家

This one's mine,

這間是我的

and this one is Spencer and Sheila's.

這間是席菈和史賓賽的

The thing that makes this building uniquely cohousing

這棟大樓之所以是獨特的共宅

are not the homes,

關鍵不是在這些家

but rather, what happens here --

而是在這裡

the social interactions that happen in and around that central courtyard.

在中央天井中以及其周圍 所發生的社交互動

When I look across the courtyard,

當我看向天井的另一邊

I look forward to see Spencer and Sheila.

我會期待看到席菈和史賓賽

In fact, every morning, this is what I see,

事實上，每天早上 我看到的都是這個畫面

Spencer waving at me furiously as we're making our breakfasts.

我們在做早餐時 史賓賽會向我猛揮手

From our homes, we look down into the courtyard,

從我們的家 向下可看到天井內部

and depending on the time of year,

每年不同時候看到的會有所不同

we see this:

我們會看到這些：

kids and grownups in various combinations

小孩跟大人打成一片

playing and hanging out with each other.

他們在一起玩樂，一起打發時間

There's a lot of giggling and chatter.

充滿著歡聲笑語

There's a lot of hula-hooping.

有很多人玩呼啦圈

And every now and then, "Hey, quit hitting me!"

偶爾，會有「嘿！別再打我了！」

or a cry from one of the kids.

或是其中一個孩子的一聲大叫

These are the sounds of our daily lives,

這些，是我們日常生活的聲音

and the sounds of social connectedness.

也是社交連結的聲音

At the bottom of the courtyard, there are a set of double doors,

在天井底部，有一組雙開的門

and those lead into the common house.

那些門通往公用房

I consider the common house the secret sauce of cohousing.

我把公用房視為是共宅的秘製醬料

It's the secret sauce

之所以說它是秘製醬料

because it's the place where the social interactions

是因為社交互動和社區生活

and community life begin,

是以它為源頭

and from there, it radiates out through the rest of the community.

輻射至社區的其餘地方

Inside our common house, we have a large dining room

在我們的公用房中 有一個大型的餐廳

to seat all 28 of us and our guests,

能容得下我們全部 28 人和客人

and we dine together three times a week.

我們一週有三次一起吃飯

In support of those meals, we have a large kitchen

我們有個大型的廚房以供應餐點

so that we can take turns cooking for each other

那我們就能以三人為一組

in teams of three.

輪流為彼此下廚

So that means, with 17 adults,

我們有 17 個成人，就意味著

I lead cook once every six weeks.

每六週我就要主導一次下廚

Two other times, I show up and help my team

另外兩次，我會出席並協助

with the preparation and cleanup.

負責事前準備和事後清理

And all those other nights,

剩下其他的晚上

I just show up.

我只要出席就好

I have dinner, talk with my neighbors,

我吃晚餐，和鄰居聊天

and I go home, having been fed a delicious meal

在飽餐了由一頓關心我的人所煮的

by someone who cares about my vegetarian preferences.

美味食物之後，回家

Our nine families have intentionally chosen

我們的九個家庭，是刻意選擇

an alternative way of living.

這一種生活方式的

Instead of pursuing the American dream,

我們並不追求

where we might have been isolated in our single-family homes,

可能會被隔離在 自己單一家庭的美國夢

we instead chose cohousing,

相反，我們選擇共宅

so that we can increase our social connections.

這樣我們才能增加我們的社交連結

And that's how cohousing starts:

共宅就是這麼開始的

with a shared intention

有一個共同的意圖

to live collaboratively.

想要以協作方式過生活

And intention is the single most important characteristic

區分共宅與其他住房模型

that differentiates cohousing from any other housing model.

最重要的特徵，就是意圖

And while intention is difficult to see

雖然意圖很難被看見

or even show,

甚至很難呈現

I'm an architect, and I can't help but show you more pictures.

但我是個建築師 我忍不住想讓你們看更多照片

So here are a few examples to illustrate

這裡有幾個例子，可以說明

how intention has been expressed

在我所造訪的一些社區中

in some of the communities I've visited.

意圖是如何被表達出來的

Through the careful selection of furniture,

通過細心挑選、以便共同用餐的

lighting and acoustic materials to support eating together;

傢具、照明、以及隔音材料

in the careful visual location and visual access

精心設計的視覺位置和視覺門徑

to kids' play areas around and inside the common house;

通往公共房屋內外的兒童遊樂區

in the consideration of scale

考量社區內部及周圍的

and distribution of social gathering nodes

社交聚集點其規模以及分佈

in and around the community to support our daily lives,

以滿足我們日常生活需要

all of these spaces help contribute to and elevate

所有這些空間都協助促成

the sense of communitas

及提升每個社區中的

in each community.

交融感 (communitas)

What was that word? "Communitas."

「交融」這個詞是什麼意思？

Communitas is a fancy social science way of saying "spirit of community."

交融就是「社區精神」的酷炫說法

And in visiting over 80 different communities,

我造訪了超過八十個不同的社區

my measure of communitas became:

我對於交融度的衡量方式變成是：

How frequently did residents eat together?

居民有多常在一起吃飯？

While it's completely up to each group

不過他們多常一起吃飯

how frequently they have common meals,

會因不同群體而異

I know some that have eaten together every single night

我認識一些持續四十年

for the past 40 years.

每晚都跟別人一起吃飯的人

I know others

我也認識一些人

that have an occasional potluck once or twice a month.

一個月會有一、兩次的聚餐

And from my observations, I can tell you,

根據我的觀察，我可以告訴各位

those that eat together more frequently,

比較常與人一起吃飯的人

exhibit higher levels of communitas.

會展現出比較高的交融度

It turns out, when you eat together,

結果發現，當大家一起吃飯時

you start planning more activities together.

就會規劃更多一起做的活動

When you eat together, you share more things.

一起吃飯時會分享更多事

You start to watch each other's kids.

你們會開始幫彼此顧孩子

You lend our your power tools. You borrow each other's cars.

你把你的電動工具借出去 你們借用彼此的汽車

And despite all this,

儘管如此

as my daughter loves to say,

如同我女兒很愛說的

everything is not rainbows and unicorns in cohousing,

在共宅中的一切 並不是彩虹和獨角獸

and I'm not best friends with every single person in my community.

我不能與我社區中每個人都成為好友

We even have differences and conflicts.

我們甚至會有歧見和衝突

But living in cohousing, we're intentional about our relationships.

但住在共宅中

我們對於彼此的關係是有意圖的

We're motivated to resolve our differences.

我們會有動機要化解我們的歧見

We follow up, we check in,

我們採取進一步行動，我們溝通

we speak our personal truths

我們說出我們個人的實話

and, when appropriate,

並在適當時機

we apologize.

我們會道歉

Skeptics will say that cohousing is only interesting or attractive

懷疑論者會說 只有一小群人會覺得共宅

to a very small group of people.

是有趣且有吸引力的

And I'll agree with that.

我同意那個說法

If you look at Western cultures around the globe,

如果你看看全球的西方文化

those living in cohousing are just a fractional percent.

住在共宅的人佔的百分比很低

But that needs to change,

但那必須要改變

because our very lives depend upon it.

因為那關係到我們的生命

In 2015, Brigham Young University completed a study

在 2015 年 楊百翰大學完成了一項研究

that showed a significant increase risk of premature death

指出獨自居住者的提早死亡風險

in those who were living in isolation.

有明顯增加

The US Surgeon General has declared isolation

美國衛生局局長聲名

將孤離納入為一種公共衛生流行病

to be a public health epidemic.

And this epidemic is not restricted to the US alone.

而這項流行病並不只會在美國發生

So when I said earlier

所以我先前才會說

that cohousing is an antidote to isolation,

共宅是孤離的解藥

what I should have said

我其實應該要說

is that cohousing can save your life.

共宅能救你一命

If I was a doctor, I would tell you to take two aspirin,

如果我是醫生 我會告訴你吃兩顆阿斯匹靈

and call me in the morning.

早上再打電話給我

But as an architect,

但身為建築師

I'm going to suggest that you take a walk with your neighbor,

我的建議是，和你的鄰居去散步

share a meal together,

一起吃頓飯

and call me in 20 years.

20 年後再打電話給我

Thank you.

謝謝大家

(Applause)

（掌聲）