來自好萊塢的訊息：擁抱過去 塑造城市未來

今年5月早些時候，一年一度的米爾肯研究院全球會議在美國洛杉磯召開，中美兩國商務人士與近4000名來自政府、商業、慈善和公民社會領域的領袖一道出席了會議。今年米爾肯會議的主題是“應對變化中的世界”。

Earlier this May, Chinese and U.S. business executives were among some 4,000 leaders from government, business, philanthropy, and civil society at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles. This year's theme was “navigating a world in transition.”

的確，來自亞太地區的與會人數創了新高，他們中的很多人都切身明白，隨着世界從農村向城鎮轉型，快速增長的大都會地區面臨着諸多挑戰。聯合國國際移民組織總幹事威廉·斯溫在2017年10月指出，居住在城市的人口數量歷史上首次超過了農村地區人口。

Indeed, many of the participants attending from the Asia-Pacific region know first-hand the challenges facing rapidly growing metropolitan areas as the world transitions from rural to urban. For the first time in history, noted UN Migration Director General William Lacy Swing in October 2017, more people live in cities than rural areas.

但有趣的是，好萊塢——距離米爾肯會議現場僅數英里之遙——推出了一部大片，這部影片或許在無意之中給中國的城市領導者們提供了一個訊息。

But intriguingly, from Hollywood — just a few miles from the conference site — came a blockbuster film that might also offer up an unintentional message for China's urban leaders.

漫威公司2018年上半年推出熱門電影《黑豹》。自從發行以來，這部電影收穫了超過13億美元票房，包括中國市場貢獻的1.05億美元和東南亞市場貢獻的5000萬美元。這些票房成績令《黑豹》成爲以單一超級英雄爲主角的電影中票房最高的一部。

Black Panther, Marvel's early-2018 entry in its cinematic universe, has grossed more than $1.3 billion since its release, including $105 million in China and $50 million in Southeast Asia. Those box office numbers make Black Panther the highest-ever grossing film based on a single superhero.

但除了爲漫畫英雄改編的電影設置了新標準，這部將背景設在漫威電影宇宙的影片還以其對城市生活的表現吸引了城市規劃專家們的注意。事實上，中國的房地產開發商和城市規劃者們應當關注一下這部電影中描繪的城市生活圖景。中國的領導層也應如此，因爲中國眼下正在大力推動雄安新區的發展這是一個位於日益擁堵、人口日益膨脹的首都北京西南約60英里（約100公里）的新的特別經濟區。

But more than setting a new standard for comic-book inspired projects, the film, set in the Marvel Universe, has caught the attention of urbanists in its presentation of city life. Indeed, China's property developers and urban planners should take note of how urban life in the film is depicted. That includes China's leadership as the nation moves forward with development of the Xiong'an New Area – a new special economic zone about 60 miles southwest of the increasingly congested and crowded capital city of Beijing.

2017年4月1日，中國國家主席習近平將位於河北省的三個縣指定爲“雄安新區”。“雄安”這一名稱的漢語單詞由中文“雄偉”的“雄”和“平安”的“安”組成。雄安新區被稱作以注重環保和建設“智能城市”爲重心的高質量發展新模板。

On April 1, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping designated three counties in Hebei Province as the "Xiong'an New Area.” The characters for Xiong'an are a combination of the Chinese characters for "brave" and "peace." The Xiong'an New Area has been described as a possible new template for high-quality development with a focus on the environment and building a "smart city."

如果一切進展順利，雄安新區或許可以從《黑豹》如何定義“智能城市”中汲取經驗。這種“智能城市”不僅科技發達，同時也是充滿活力的城市地區，能從中國豐富的文化遺產、傳統和社區意識中汲取養分。

If all goes well, Xiong'an might also take a lesson from Black Panther in defining a "smart city" as one that is not only technologically advanced but also a vibrant urban area that draws from China's rich cultural heritage, traditions and sense of community.

《黑豹》電影中的很多場景都設定在瓦坎達首都比爾寧扎那。瓦坎達是一個虛擬的非洲國家，黑豹保護其免受外界影響。而黑豹的真實身份是提恰拉，一個科技發達但奉行孤立主義國家的國王。瓦坎達國的城市生活令人驚異之處就在於，它與我們過往在電影中經常見到的、充滿現代感的城市不同，也與我們旅行時經過的那些快速發展的亞洲城市不同。

A good part of the film Black Panther takes place in Birnin Zana, the capital of Wakanda, a fictional African nation protected from outside influences by the Black Panther, whose real identity is T'Challa, the king of the technologically advanced, but isolationist country. What is striking about Wakandan city-life is how different it is from what we have become accustomed to seeing in movies offering a view of modernity, as well as in our own travels through the rapidly growing urban areas of much of Asia.

馬克·馬爾金在《建築文摘》中寫道，與我們期待在未來城市看到的無處不在的不鏽鋼玻璃高塔和失去生機的街頭生活不同，電影爲我們呈現出了一幅充滿非洲質感、設計和顏色的豐富多彩的城市圖景，這種城市圍繞人與人之間的互動而存在。

Architectural Digest's Marc Malkin writes that rather than seeing the ubiquitous glass-and-steel towers and sterile street life that we have come to expect in the cities of tomorrow, we are shown in the film a colorful cityscape infused with African textures, designs, and colors, organized to emphasize human interaction.

這一元素爲這個虛擬的非洲之都營造出一份獨特、難忘的“氛圍”——在那裏摩天大廈矗立於活力四射的社區。

All this contributes to the fictional capital's unique, memorable “vibe” – one where skyscrapers rise from vibrant communities below.

但遺憾的是，亞洲很多城市都不具備這種特質，包括中國的部分城市在內。

Sadly, the same cannot be always said about many of Asia's cities, including parts of China.

本來出於善意將商業區域與住宅區域分割開來的區劃規則，或許會降低一個城市的活力，正如我們在美國看到的那樣。同時，當穿行在亞洲的超大都市時，我們可以清楚地看到城鎮化的規模與方向通常導致宜居度被削弱。而那些有能力善用城市提供的種種機會與便利度，與那些無法利用這些機會的人們之間，他們的不平等也在日益加劇。

Well-intentioned zoning rules separating commercial and residential districts may well reduce a city's vibrancy, as we have seen in the United States. And, what is clear in a journey through Asia's megacities is that the scale and direction of urbanization has led too often to reduced livability and burgeoning inequality between those who can and those who cannot afford the best that a city has to offer.

隨着更多的人們從農村涌向城市，以及區域之間不平等的加劇，這種挑戰只會變得越來越嚴峻。根據樂施會（Oxfam）最新發布的不平等報告，亞洲是眼下全球貧富差距最大的地區之一。

This challenge is likely to only grow, as more people move from rural to urban areas and inequality increases across the region. Asia's wealth gap is now among the largest in the world. That's according to Oxfam's latest report on inequality, “An Economy for the 99%.”

聯合國經濟和社會事務部在最新發布的年度《世界城鎮化展望報告》中預計，很多東南亞國家的城市將在2015年至2025年間經歷兩位數的人口增長。印度尼西亞雅加達的人口預計將增長22%，從1030萬增至1260萬。菲律賓馬尼拉的人口預計將增長17.4%，從1290萬增至1520萬。泰國曼谷的人口預計增長11.2%，從930萬增至1100萬。

A recent United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' annual World Urbanization Prospects report projects that many of Southeast Asia's cities will experience double-digit growth between 2015 and 2025. Jakarta, Indonesia is expected to grow 22%, from 10.3 to 12.6 million. Manila, in the Philippines, is projected to grow 17.4%, from 12.9 to 15.2 million people; and Bangkok, Thailand, 11.2%, from 9.3 to 11.0 million.

這種大規模的城鎮化進程是以該地區建築式樣的豐富和文化結構的質地爲代價的。隨着城市規劃者們尋求實現更新、更整潔同時也更無生趣的現代城市願景，街頭小販們被迫從一些城市消失。同時，隨着街頭生活的消失，令這些城市充滿獨特韻味的曾經長期存在、充滿活力的社區即便不會立即消失，也面臨着生存威脅。

This rampant urbanization has come at the expense of the region's architectural richness and cultural fabric. Street vendors have been banished in parts of some cities as urban planners seek to impose a new, cleaner, but perhaps more sterile, vision of the modern city. And, as street life has disappeared, the longstanding, vibrant communities that made these cities unique have also come under threat, if not vanished.

而代替衆多城市風景的是大一統的平淡無味。這種“將店鋪商場化”的進程被從一國照搬到另一國的統一超大商場充斥，這類商場在設計上通常幾乎或完全不會借鑑該國本來的文化傳承。哪怕是在一個擁有衆多聯合國世界文化遺址的地區，可悲的是這種現象也屢見不鮮。這些世界文化遺址每年吸引成千上萬名遊客來汲取靈感，但現在它們似乎已經被遺忘。

What replaces many a cityscape is a generic blandness. This “mallification,” punctuated by the existence of a generic mega mall that is transplanted from country to country, too often draws little or no design influence from a country's legacy. This is all too sadly evident even in a region of the world that is home to many UNESCO world heritage sites. These sites draw thousands of visitor each year for inspiration, but seem to have been relegated to the past.

這種過去與現在的割裂並非一開始就在亞洲存在。我們只需以柬埔寨上世紀60年代的“黃金時代”爲例，當時的柬埔寨建築師凡·莫利萬（Vann Molyvann，卒於2017年）將吳哥帝國的建築風格與現代設計元素相結合，發起了“新高棉建築”運動。他的作品以風格和傳統的融合而享譽世界。

This harsh division of past and present has not always existed in the region. One need only to look to Cambodia's “Golden Age” of the 1960s as an example, when Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann (d. 2017) used building features of the Angkor Empire with modern design elements to help launch the “New Khmer Architecture” movement. His works were hailed for its synthesis of style and tradition.

回顧過去，莫利萬超前的設計理念放在當下也依然不失純正的高棉風格。但可嘆的是，隨着中國和其他國家的投資大量涌入，推動金邊快速發展並着重強調規模而非純正風格的城鎮化進程，他的很多作品都慘遭摧毀。

By looking back, Molyvann's forward-looking designs remained authentically Khmer. Sadly, many of his works have succumbed as Chinese and other investment has contributed to Phnom Penh's breakneck development and to a vision of urbanization that seemingly emphasizes size over authenticity.

然而這種純正性正是設計一座健康城市的關鍵元素之一。總部位於荷蘭、致力於提高全球人民生活質量的智庫菲利普斯健康與福祉中心正是這樣認爲的。與其忽視歷史，城市規劃者和房地產開發商們應當擁抱一座城市的傳承、文化和環境，來創造一種獨特的地理與身份認同感。這種獨特性，這種我們此前從未見過的、其他地方絕無僅有的獨特性，正是當我們看到銀幕上瓦坎達活力四射街道時的反應。

It is this authenticity, however, that is among the critical ingredients in what goes into designing a healthy city. That's according to The Philips Center for Health and Well-being, a Netherlands-based think tank focused on improving the lives of people around the world. Rather than ignore its history, urban planners and developers should embrace a city's heritage, culture and environment to create a unique sense of place and identity. This uniqueness, of seeing something we have never seen before and that exists nowhere else, is what we also react to when we see the vibrant streets of Wakanda on screen.

以下內容包含劇透，介意者請慎讀！隨着《黑豹》影片接近尾聲，瓦坎達領袖提恰拉知會聯合國，他決定揭示其國度真實的進步與發展狀況。影片結尾，一名外國官員問道，瓦坎達能夠給世界提供什麼。

Spoiler alert! As the movie Black Panther draws to a close, Wakanda's leader, T'Challa, informs the United Nations of his decision to reveal the true state of his country's advancements and development. The scene concludes with a foreign official responding by asking what Wakanda has to offer the world.

這裏有一個明確的回答。瓦坎達向我們展示出，對於城鎮化看起來或感受起來應當是什麼樣子，無需存在一個默認項，也無需簡單複製好萊塢的弄假成真。同時，對於那些要把雄安新區的偉大圖景在未來若干年內變爲現實的人們來說，《黑豹》也傳遞出了一個訊息。世界各地的城市，包括中國的城市在內，都將持續不斷地發展，但發展的途徑應是通過擁抱它們各自豐富的過往，來創造一個充滿活力、風格獨特、兼收幷蓄的未來。

Here is one clear answer. Wakanda shows that there need not be a default setting for what urbanization looks and feels like. This need not simply be Hollywood make-believe. And that's also a message for those turning the Xiong'an New Area master plan into reality in the years ahead. Cities everywhere, including in China, will continue to grow, but they can also do so by embracing their rich pasts while building a vibrant, unique and inclusive future.