香港人佔領街道 試圖改善城市體驗
HONG KONG — As Dennis Wu sat with hundreds of people in the middle of a busy Hong Kong street recently, the scene felt to him like the pro-democracy protests of 2014 all over again.
香港——當丹尼斯•胡(Dennis Wu)最近與數百人坐在一條擁擠的香港街道中央時，他感覺2014年支持民主的抗議行動的場景彷彿又回來了。
Except that Mr. Wu, an 18-year-old student, and those around him were not looking over their shoulders, worried about a police crackdown. This time they were taking part in a car-free experiment in Hong Kong’s Central district, where the protests erupted two years ago and blockaded the area from traffic for weeks.
只不過，18歲的學生丹尼斯•胡和他周圍的人沒有在小心提防，不用擔心警察來鎮壓。這一次，他們只是在香港中環參加一項無車實驗。兩年前，這裏曾經爆發抗議行動，令該區域的交通中斷了數週。
“The only difference is the mood,” he recalled.
“唯一的不同之處是氣氛，”他回憶道。
Though the protests petered out without achieving their goals, they showed that Central, a busy financial district usually clogged with vehicles, was much more pleasant without traffic. After the initial chaos of the demonstrations subsided, a nearly mile-long stretch of a busy thoroughfare turned into a public space fertile with ideas and aspirations.
儘管抗議活動在沒能達成目標的情況下逐漸平息，但他們證明了中環這個通常擠滿車輛的繁忙金融區，在沒有車輛通行的情況下要宜人得多。示威行動最初引發的混亂減弱之後，一段近一英里長的繁忙大道變成了一片充溢着想法與熱望的公共空間。
Protesters and their supporters set up makeshift study rooms, libraries and even a roadside organic farm. Office workers took strolls in the tent city, freed from the usual debilitating sound of roaring bus engines and the choking smell of exhaust.
抗議者及其支持者搭起臨時的學習室、圖書室，甚至還在路邊設了一個有機農場。上班族在這個帳篷城裏散步，沒有往常的巴士引擎的轟鳴，也不用聞嗆人的汽車尾氣。
Patrick Fung, the chief executive of Clean Air Network, one of the organizers of the car-free experiment, said the demonstrations had inspired residents to rethink Hong Kong’s lack of pedestrian-friendly areas.
這次無車實驗的組織者之一、健康空氣行動(Clean Air Network)首席執行官馮建瑋(Patrick Fung)表示，示威行動啓發了居民，使他們反思香港缺少適合步行的區域。
“At least during the protests, people did enjoy the freedom of a public space, having their lunch and biking there,” Mr. Fung said. “Many of them said the air quality was good, and the commute time between places was improved.”
“至少是在抗議期間，人們享受到了公共空間的自由，在那裏吃中飯，騎單車，”馮建瑋說。“他們中有許多表示，當時的空氣質量很好，通勤時間也減少了。”
Last year, his group formed an alliance with several academic and environmental groups to advocate turning the greater part of the Des Voeux Road Central, a main thoroughfare near the 2014 protest sites, into a pedestrian- and tram-only precinct. (The trams run on electricity and have no tailpipe emissions.)
去年，他領導的組織與多個學術和環境團體結成聯盟，倡導將靠近2014年抗議活動地址的德輔道中更大一部分區域，改成一個只許行人和有軌電車通行的步行區。（有軌電車靠電力行駛，沒有尾氣排放。）
Renderings in their proposal depict a version of the road that almost seems too good to be true: grass-lined tram tracks, restaurants with outdoor seating and people relaxing rather than grumbling their way through the crowd.
他們這項提議的建築效果圖中描繪的道路看起來太過完美，幾乎令人難以置信：鋪在綠地上的電車軌道，有戶外座椅的餐廳，神情放鬆而非在竭力穿過人羣的人。
The alliance hopes to replicate the success of pedestrian zones in Times Square in New York; La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain; and Martin Place in Sydney, Australia. By holding a trial run, the organizers hoped to move the needle by giving the public a taste — albeit a limited one — of their vision.
該聯盟希望能複製紐約時報廣場步行區、西班牙巴塞羅那布蘭拉大道和澳大利亞悉尼馬丁廣場的成功。通過這次試運行，組織者期待通過讓公衆感受他們的設計——儘管規模十分有限——能令情況有所改變。
On a Sunday in late September, one side of a 650-foot stretch of Des Voeux Road Central, lined with banks and cha chaan tengs, or Hong Kong-style diners, was closed to traffic.
在9月末的一個週日，德輔道中一個650英尺長、銀行與茶餐廳林立的路段一側，車輛被禁止通行。
There were music and dance performances, art displays and activities catering to children. But the most popular attraction seemed to be sitting on the artificial grass and chatting, without pressure to move along.
那裏有音樂舞蹈表演和藝術展，還有適合孩子參加的活動。但最受歡迎的似乎是坐在人造草坪上聊天，沒有繼續往前移動的壓力。
Many people said that they found the experience refreshing and that they yearned for more public space like this.
許多人表示，他們覺得這種體驗很新鮮，渴望有更多這樣的公共空間。
“I used to work here — I’m surprised that it’s possible to make this a relaxing place,” said Rachel Chan, who had brought along her 8-year-old daughter. “We’re constantly living in such a stressful, overcrowded environment that it’s refreshing to have more space like this.”
“我以前在附近上班——我很驚訝這裏可以變成一個讓人放鬆的地方，”帶着八歲的女兒來這裏體驗的蕾切爾•陳(Rachel Chan)說。“我們的生活經常面對高壓、擠迫的環境，有更多這樣的地方可以令我感到清新。”
Eric Schuldenfrei, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong who has developed design concepts for the proposal, said the event allowed the public to use the city streets creatively. He said that was an increasingly common experience in many great cities but lacking in Hong Kong.
香港大學副教授邵達輝(Eric Schuldenfrei)爲這項建議提供了設計思路，他表示這項舉措能讓公衆創造性地使用城市街道。他說這是一種在許多大城市越來越常見的體驗，而香港則很少見。
“People were not simply moving through the city, but actually using the road in order to meet, have a conversation and participate in each other’s events,” Professor Schuldenfrei said. “As simple as this sounds, it is an element that has been lost in Hong Kong.”
“人們不只是在城市中穿行，他們實際上是在通過道路相遇、聊天，參加彼此的活動，”邵達輝說。“這聽起來可能很簡單，但它是香港缺失的一面。”
Professor Schuldenfrei said that if Hong Kong wanted to attract more tourists, it had to offer them “a range of experiences.”
邵達輝表示，如果香港想吸引更多遊客，必須給他們提供“多樣的體驗”。
“Simply walking on a city street is an experience that is beginning to disappear in Central,” he added.
“單純走在城市的一條街道上，就是一種已經開始在中環消失的體驗，”他接着講道。
The initiative, known as Very DVRC, after the road’s initials, has also seized on the business and tourism selling points of the plan.
這項名爲Very DVRC的倡導計劃是以德輔道中路的首字母命名，它也利用了這項計劃的商業和旅遊賣點。
Donald Choi, the managing director of Nan Fung Development, a property developer, said he was on board with the idea.
房地產開放商南豐發展有限董事總經理蔡宏興(Donald Choi)表示，他支持這項計劃。
“I couldn’t imagine a better proposal than this,” he said at a panel discussion last year, when the group unveiled its plan. “It’s something that will generate a lot of interest, a lot of attraction, not only for tourists but also for local residents and users.”
“我想不到比這更好的提議了，”他在健康空氣行動組織去年公佈這項計劃時舉行的一場座談會上說。“這是一件會帶來很多好處和吸引力的事情，不只是對遊客，也有益於當地居民和使用者。”
Mr. Choi, who works in Central, said the air pollution, the roar of engines and the congested sidewalks made the street so unpleasant that he tried to avoid it by taking an overhead walkway farther away.
蔡宏興的辦公地點就在中環，他表示空氣污染、引擎的轟鳴和擁擠的人行道使這條大道令人不快，他會竭力避開它，寧願走更遠一些的天橋。
“People couldn’t even stop in front of shops to look at shop windows,” he said. “You’re constantly pushed. It’s very congested.”
“人們甚至無法在店鋪前停下腳步，看看櫥窗，”他說。“一直被往前推着。非常擁擠。”
The idea of turning nearly a mile of the road into a permanent pedestrian- and tram-only zone was first proposed in 2000 by the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, a professional organization, but has drawn broader attention in recent years as air pollution and congestion have worsened.
這項將一英里長的道路變成只許行人和電車通行的永久步行區的提議，最早是在2000年由專業機構香港規劃師學會提出，但最近幾年隨着空氣污染和交通堵塞情況惡化，才引發了更廣泛的注意。
In 2014, the Hong Kong government undertook a study of possible solutions, proposing this March to charge drivers for access.
2014年，香港政府對一些可行的方案進行了研究，今年三月提出向經過此地的司機收費。
Even as the Hong Kong government has acknowledged the proposal’s potential to improve air quality, official responses to the plan have not boded well for any immediate change, as the authorities have demanded a detailed feasibility report and traffic analysis.
儘管香港政府承認，該提議有可能改善空氣質量，但是從官方對該計劃的反應來看，可能不會立刻做出改變，因爲當局要求獲得詳細的可行性報告和交通分析。
Unlike several other smaller areas of the city where the government has temporarily restricted vehicle access — like the steep streets in the Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district — Des Voeux Road Central is home to dozens of bus stations and many intersections.
香港政府在其他幾個更小區域進行了臨時交通管制，比如蘭桂坊娛樂區那些有坡度的街道。但是德輔道中與那些區域不同，這裏有數十個公交車站和很多交叉路口。
When asked about the proposal in January, Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, Hong Kong’s transport minister, said the proposal would divert vehicles “to nearby roads with more residential flats, which equally cast impact on the air quality of the residential areas concerned and bring about noises.”
今年一月，香港運輸及房屋局局長張炳良(Anthony Cheung Bing-leung)在被問及該提議時稱，它將導致車輛“改經附近較多民居的街道，一樣會對有關住宅區的空氣質素造成影響及帶來噪音。”
Despite the lukewarm official response, Mr. Fung, the head of Clean Air Network, said he was encouraged that 13,000 people had visited the stretch of road that Sunday. His group hopes to build public support for more traffic-free days.
儘管官方的反應不太熱情，但是健康空氣行動的負責人馮建瑋稱，那個週日有1.3萬人來到這條道路，令他深感鼓舞。他的組織希望爲更多無車日建立公衆支持。
“We started small, but from here we can double or triple our scale,” he said.
“一開始我們的規模比較小，但是我們能擴大到兩至三倍的規模，”他說。
