人与人的城市

文章来源：俞孔坚.人与人的城市[J].景观设计学, 2012(5):26-27.

离开西南偏僻深山中的甲居—中国最美的乡村，沿着小金川峡谷，翻过巴朗山雪峰，再穿过遭受5•12地震毁坏的卧龙保护区……整整8个小时的颠簸和寂寥，穿越险境环生的山崖和谷地，突然来到了成都平原，脱离了由山河风雪之神统治的世界，回归人间，顿觉轻松了许多。但当车行至成都市区的外环路时，我忽然间感到了一种莫名的恐惧：雾霭笼罩在城市的上空，一座座畸形古怪的巨大建筑物耸立在迷雾之中，表情狰狞；高架起的宽阔的环城高速公路，套着一座座硕大的立交桥，大小汽车在上面爬行着，却没有任何人的迹象，连在深山幽谷中曾见到的炊烟也没有了，鬼魅如《指环王》中的魔城；走进城区，同样宽广的大马路，一任钢铁怪物横冲直闯，可怜的老人和小孩冒着生命的危险，赶在交通灯由绿变红之前，跑到对面；高耸的围墙隔离了一群群操着同样的方言、却无缘交流的城市贵族；一条条钢筋水泥河道，成了包括儿童在内的生物的死亡陷阱；巨大的广场上，素不相识的人在兜售你不需要的信息和物品……传说中的最宜居的城市，“东方伊甸园”在哪里？这就是我们长途跋涉、历尽艰险所追求的“城市化”和城市吗？

成都如此，上海、广州、北京又何尝不是！

我宁愿看到儿童背着书包，自由地在城市的街巷中穿行，和同伴一起上学堂，而不是让父母开车接送—就像乡村中的孩子一样，不必担心奔驰的汽车，不必担忧陌生的路人；

我宁愿看到城里的河边，布满高低错落的石埠，母亲在浣纱，孩子们在戏水—就像我在丽江的水渠边、在凤凰的沱江边、在大理的洱海边看到的那样，而不是站在汉白玉栏杆外，看着河水茫然地流走；

我宁愿看到老人带着儿童，坐在浓荫的大树下，讲着他爷爷所知道的那些故事—就像我家村口那棵大樟树下的故事会，而不是将老人送入养老院，把儿童关进学堂；

我宁愿看到放学回家的女孩们，在公共的院子里，哪怕是泥土的场地上，跳房子、荡秋千—就像社会主义单位大院里的孩子们那样，而不只是在电梯间中相遇；

我宁愿看到熙熙攘攘的街市，远道而来的人们展示自己的新鲜果菜和富有个性的商品，一任成熟的男人们在讨价还价中获得乐趣，而不是到空调的超市里，毫无表情地从货架上取走塑料包裹的商品，无条件地付款取货；

我宁愿看青年男女，围着水井，望着水中倒映的月亮，憧憬着美好的未来，而不是在电脑的两端，通过虚拟的空间，谈情说爱；

……

人是群居的动物，城市是社交的场所：为了爱情、友情和共同的兴趣，为了交易和交流的方便，人们选择了群居，这才有了城市。然而，今天的人们却发现，城市徒有绮丽的建筑、宽广的交通路网以及精贵的广场和装饰，却失去了交流，失去了可供交流的场所：水边、树下、桥头、街道、市井、场院；为了追求“城”，我们却丢失了“市”。

城市景观设计的核心之一就是让城市回归“城市性”，回到城市作为交流网络的真实性，而不是让城市仅仅停留在网络的虚拟中，更不是让城市只有“城”的外壳，而无“市”的本质。

Cities for Social Beings

Leaving Jiaju,China's most beautiful village located in the remote regions of southwestern China's mountainous area, we travelled along the Xiaojinchuan Valley,across the snow-capped Balang Mountain, and through the Wolong National Natural Reserve that had been shattered by the devastating earthquake in 2008... After the eight hours, long of jalting and bneliness, leaving behind the dangeraus clifts and valleys, we suddenly arrived at the Chengdu Plain as thrust back into this warld fram the domain of the gods of mountains,rivers,winds andsnows. A real relief. However, as the car circled the outer ring of downtown Chengdu,the relief was replaced by an inexplicable terror: the urban sky is shrouded with haze, the gigantic distorted buildings stand with dreadful expressions. Crawling on the elevated expressway that linked the tremendous structures of flyovers were cars of various sizes,but any trace of human beings was nowhere to found; nor was there any smoke fram kitchen chimneys. This is like the devildom in the Lord of theRings. Then we reach the downtown area. On the similarly broad roads, cars, like iron monsters, rush about madly, ignaring the poor old people and young kids who risk their lives running across before the traffic lights turned red. The urban aristocrats reside behind tall walls, who, thaugh speaking the same local language,are not able to communicate with each other.Rivers built with reinforced concete had become death traps for living creatures,induding the children. And in the immense squarethere are vendors selling things you did not need... Where is the most livable city? Where is the so-called Oriental Eden? Is this the urban landscape and city we have been pursuing?

This is Chengdu; Shanghai, Guangzhau -and Beijing is no different!

I would rather that children carrying schoolbags walked freely in the urban streets and aleys with their friends, without their parents driving them to school, that they could be like the kids in the countryside who do not need to worry about the speeding cars and passing strangers.

I would rather that mothers washed clathes by the urbanrivers on the layered banks,children playing in the water,as those do by the canals in Lijiang,the Tuojiang River in Fenghuang,and the Erhai Lake in Dali,than to see people stand by white marble railings boking at the river water flowing by.

I would rather that children sat in the shade of large tres listening to the old people teling stories passed down fram their grandfathers,as the tales were told under the tall camphor tree atthe gateway of my home village,than to see old people sent to the nursing hames,and children locked in schools.

I would rather that girls returning from schoal plaved ho pscotch or swings in the public courtyard, even if it were anly a dirt playfield,as the children do in the sodalist compaunds,than to see them meet anly in the eleva tors.

I would rather that people fram afar be gathered in the bustling fairs, displaying their fresh fruit and vegetables and handifcrafts,the matured men bantering and bargaining,thanto see shappers take down plastic-packed produds fram the shelves in the air-conditioned supermarkets and pay without taking about the prices.

I would rather that a young man and a young waman sat by a well looking at the reflected moon in the water and dreaming about their beautiful future,than to see loverssit in front of their computers making out in virtual space.

Human beings are social animals,and cities are the places for socializing. Because of love, friendship and common interest, comvenience and communication,peaple choose to live in groups, and thus enabling cities to come into existence. However. people find out today that,thaugh they have in cities splendid buildings extensive traffic netwarks and delicate squares with decorations,they no langer communicate,nor can they findthe places for exchange: by the waters, under the trees at the side of the bridges, in the streets, marketplaces or courtyards. Gties should be places for cammunities,and now that we have the space,but have lost the sense of sodal community.

One of the core missions for urban landscape architecture isto restore the urbanism of the cities,which mears recovering the real cly as netwarks of communication instead of the virtual city of anine games which anly has the appe arance of cly, without the essence of urbanism.