Dan Barasch: A park underneath the hustle and bustle of New York City

譯者: Hsun Ying Tsai 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

My dream is to build the world's first

我的夢想是在紐約建造

underground park in New York City.

世界上第一個地底公園。

Now, why would someone want to build an underground park,

那為什麼有人想要 打造地底公園？

and why in New York City?

而且為什麼在紐約？

These three tough little buggers

這邊有三個小屁孩，

are, on the left, my grandmother, age five,

左邊那位是我的奶奶，當時五歲，

and then her sister and brother,

旁邊是她的姐姐和哥哥，

ages 11 and nine.

分別是 11 歲和 9 歲。

This photo was taken just before they left

這張照片剛好在

他們離開義大利前， 準備移民到美國時拍下的，

from Italy to immigrate to the United States,

just about a century ago.

大約是一百年前的事了。

And like many immigrants at the time,

跟同期的移民者一樣，

they arrived on the Lower East Side

他們都來到紐約的下東城。

in New York City

and they encountered a crazy melting pot.

也遇到了瘋狂的種族大熔爐。

What was amazing about their generation

他們這世代最讓人驚豔的是，

was that they were not only building new lives

他們不只是在這嶄新、生疏的地方

in this new, unfamiliar area,

建立起新的生活。

but they were also literally building the city.

而是真的建立起這座城市。

I've always been fascinated by those decades

我非常嚮往那段數十年的光陰

and by that history,

以及那段歷史。

and I would often beg my grandmother

我也常常拜託我奶奶

to tell me as many stories as possible

告訴我越多舊紐約的故事越好。

about the old New York.

But she would often just shrug it off,

但她總是很淡定，

tell me to eat more meatballs, more pasta,

只告訴我多吃點肉球和義大利麵。

and so I very rarely got

所以我很難得

any of the history that I wanted to hear about.

會得到我想要聽的歷史故事。

The New York City that I encountered

我認識紐約的時候，

felt pretty built up.

紐約就已經差不多成形了。

I always knew as a kid that I wanted

從小我就知道我想要

to make a difference, and to somehow

有所作為，甚至可以

make the world more beautiful, more interesting

讓這個世界變成更美麗、更有趣、

and more just.

更公平的地方。

I just didn't really know how.

但我只是不知道該怎麼做。

At first, I thought I wanted to go work abroad,

一開始我以為自己想到國外工作，

so I took a job with UNICEF in Kenya.

所以我接下了 聯合國兒童基金會肯亞的工作。

But it felt weird to me that I knew more about

但我覺得非常的奇怪， 因為我對肯亞當地的政治

local Kenyan politics than the politics of my own hometown.

遠比自己家鄉的政治還要了解。

I took a job with the City of New York,

我之後得到紐約市政府的工作。

but very quickly felt frustrated

可是很快地我對政府的

with the slowness of government bureaucracy.

官僚制度感到很挫敗。

I even took a job at Google,

我甚至還在 Google 工作，

where very fast I drank the Kool-Aid

很快地我就全盤通收，

and believed almost wholeheartedly

幾乎全心全意地深信

that technology could solve all social problems.

科技可以解決所有的社會問題。

But I still didn't feel like I was making the world a better place.

可是我卻不覺得我有 讓這個世界變得更好。

It was in 2009 that my friend

2009 年時，我的朋友

and now business partner James Ramsey

兼我的合作夥伴詹姆斯·拉姆齊

alerted me to the location of a pretty spectacular site,

讓我注意到一個很壯觀的地點，

which is this.

就是這裡。

This is the former trolley terminal

這地方以前是電車站，

that was the depot for passengers

是乘客從布魯克林區經由

traveling over the Williamsburg Bridge

威廉斯堡橋到曼哈頓的

from Brooklyn to Manhattan,

火車站，

and it was open between 1908 and 1948,

於 1908 年到 1948 年之間使用。

just around the time when my grandparents were

那時我祖父母剛好

living right in the area.

住在那個地區。

And we learned also that the site

我們也得知這個地方

was entirely abandoned in 1948.

在 1948 年就已經完全廢棄。

Fascinated by this discovery,

因為對這個發現非常的著迷，

we begged the authorities to draw us into the space,

我們請求當局讓我們看看這地方。

and we finally got a tour,

我們終於能進去參觀，

and this is what we saw.

這就是我們所看到的景象。

Now, this photo doesn't really do it justice.

但這張照片無法表達火車站全貌，

It's kind of hard to imagine the unbelievably magical

很難憑空想像出，當你進到這個空間時

feeling that you have when you get in this space.

所體會到那無法言喻的魔幻力量，

It's a football field of unused land

這區域就像沒人使用的足球場，

immediately below a very crowded area of the city,

就在城市中非常擁擠區域的正下方，

and it almost feels like you're Indiana Jones

這地方讓人覺得你就是印第安那·瓊斯，

on an archaeological dig,

正在做考古發掘。

and all the details are all still there.

我們仍可以看到所有的細節，

It's really pretty remarkable.

這真的非常棒。

Now, the site itself is located at the very heart

目前這個地方位在

下東城的心臟地帶。

of the Lower East Side,

and today it still remains one of the most

現今仍是紐約市

crowded neighborhoods in the city.

其中一個最擁擠的區域。

New York City has two thirds the green space

紐約市跟其他大型城市一樣，

per resident as other big cities,

每位居民擁有 2/3 的綠地，

and this neighborhood as one tenth the green space.

可是這個區域的人只有 1/10 的綠地。

So we immediately started thinking about how we

所以我們馬上就開始想

could take this site and turn it into something

要怎麼將這個地方轉變成

that could be used for the public,

大眾可以使用的地方，

but also could potentially even be green.

而且這地方還有綠化的可能性。

Our plan, in a nutshell,

簡單來說，我們的計劃

is to draw natural sunlight underground

是要將自然的日光引入地底。

using a simple system that harvests sunlight above the street,

運用一個簡單的系統 將街上的陽光儲存起來，

directs it below the city sidewalks,

再將儲存的陽光 導入城市地底下的人行道，

and would allow plants and trees to grow

讓植物和樹木

透過導入地底的陽光得以成長茁壯。

with the light that's directed underneath.

With this approach, you could take a site

用這種方式，

that looks like this today

我們可以把今天看起來像這樣的地方，

and transform it into something

轉變成看起來像是

that looks like this.

這樣的地方。

In 2011, we first released some of these images,

2011 年，我們先發布一些圖片。

and what was funny was,

有趣的是，

a lot of people said to us, "Oh, it kind of looks

很多人跟我們說，這看起來

like the High Line underground."

很像地下版的「高線公園」(High Line)。

And so what our nickname ended up becoming,

所以我們公園的綽號最後

and what ended up sticking,

就叫做低線 (Lowline) 公園。

was the Lowline, so the Lowline was born.

並沿用至今，低線公園就誕生了。

What was also clear was that people really wanted

我們也清楚地知道，大家真的很想

to know a lot more about how the technology

知道這個科技看起來

would look and feel,

跟摸起來的感受。

and that there was really much more interest in this

而這所引來的注目

than we had ever thought possible.

超越我們的預期。

So, like a crazy person, I decided to quit my job

所以我就像個瘋子， 決定辭掉工作，

and focus entirely on this project.

全心全意專注在這個計劃上。

Here is us with our team

我和我的組員

putting together a technology demonstration

在倉庫裡安排了

in a warehouse.

一個技術展示會。

Here's the underbelly of this solar canopy

這是太陽能遮棚的下方。

which we built to show the technology.

我們在這展示新的技術。

You can see the six solar collectors at the center there.

你們可以看到中間有六個太陽能收集器。

And here's the full exhibit all put together

這是完全組裝完後在倉庫

in this warehouse.

所做的展示。

You can see the solar canopy overhead,

你們可以看到上方是太陽能遮棚，

the light streaming in,

陽光緩緩流入，

and this entirely live green space below.

地底下就是生意盎然的綠地。

So in the course of just a few weeks,

這個展示才幾個禮拜而已，

tens of thousands of people came to see our exhibit,

就有數萬人參觀我們的展示會。

and since that time, we've grown

從那時開始， 我們的支持人數向上攀升，

our numbers of supporters both locally

有本地的支持者

and among design enthusiasts all over the world.

和來自各地的設計同好。

Here's a rendering of the neighborhood

這圖片展示著低線公園

just immediately above the Line's site,

正上方的區域。

and a rendering of how it will look

這張圖片也展示著

after major redevelopment that is coming

在未來十年的過程中，

over the course of the next 10 years.

將會有大型的重新發展計畫。

Notice how crowded the neighborhood still feels

注意到這個街區是如此擁擠，

and how there's really a lack of green space.

並且極度缺乏綠地。

So what we're proposing is really something that will

所以我們的訴求只是

add one football field of green space

增加一個足球場大小的綠地，

underneath this neighborhood, but more importantly

就建在這個區域的正下方。

更重要的是，將會在這都更過的地區

will introduce a really community-driven focus

in a rapidly gentrifying area.

推行以社區為導向的目標。

And right now, we're focusing very closely

目前，我們緊密地專注在

on how we engage with the City of New York

如何跟紐約市一同合作，

on really transforming the overall ecosystem

真正地把整個生態系統

in an integrated way.

轉變地更加完善。

Here's our rendering of how we would actually

在此呈現的是我們如何

invite people into the space itself.

吸引大家到這個空間。

So here you see this iconic entrance

你們可以看到這代表性的入口，

in which we would literally peel up the street

看起來像是我們把街道給了剝起來，

and reveal the historical layers of the city,

並展現出這個城市充滿歷史的一面，

and invite people into this warm underground space.

也吸引大家進入這溫暖的地底空間。

In the middle of winter, when it's absolutely freezing outside,

在外面真的冷到不行的隆冬時，

the last place you'd want to go would be

你最不想去的地方就是

an outdoor space or outdoor park.

戶外的空間或公園了。

The Lowline would really be a four-season space

低線公園就會是四季合宜的空間，

and a respite for the city.

讓城市得以喘息的地方。

So I like to think that the Lowline actually brings

我覺得低線公園真的

my own family's story full circle.

讓我家族的故事更加完整。

If my grandparents and my parents were really

如果我的祖父母和我父母

focused on building the city up and out,

把目標在建立並擴大這個城市。

I think my generation is focused on reclaiming

我想我們世代的目標就是

the spaces that we already have,

重新再利用我們已經擁有的土地，

rediscovering our shared history,

再次找回我們一同擁有的歷史，

and reimagining how we can make our communities

並且再次想像如何讓我們的社區

more interesting, more beautiful and more just.

成為更有趣、更美好、更公平的地方。

Thanks.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）