Dreaming cranes: It is the biggest construction boom since the Middle Ages
In his book “Notes from a Small Island”, Bill Bryson, an American author, took exception to some of Oxford's 20th-century architecture. It is, he wrote, as though the city had said to itself, “We've been putting up handsome buildings since 1264; let's have an ugly one for a change.”
✤美國作家Bill Bryson在書中如此寫道“源自一個小島的記錄‘。他把牛津地區20世紀的一些建築物當作特例。他寫道，“1264年以來我們已經建造了許多美觀的建築;為了改變，來造一個醜陋的吧。”
Much of Oxford is beautiful. A quarter of the university is listed. Some buildings date back to 1424. But in the 1960s planners added ugly shopping centers, offices and even college buildings that drain the beauty from the city center. Now a building program is under way that aims to avoid such errors, and even reverse a few.
✤牛津有許多漂亮建築。這所大學四分之一的建築物都名列在冊。一些的建築日期可以追溯到1424年。不過在20世紀60年代，設計者新建了難看的商業中心、辦公樓，甚至學院建築都叫城市中心失去美麗。現在有一個建築計畫正在施行，這個計畫將避免上述錯誤，並且可以挽救些許失去的美好。
Some of the construction is driven by the need to upgrade facilities in order to keep Oxford globally competitive. In 2014 it was ranked Britain's top research university, yet some departments are still housed in converted Victorian houses. Post-war buildings in the Science Area have been demolished. Their replacements will encourage inter-disciplinary work. There is a push, too, for links with business, as pioneered by Oxford's old rival, Cambridge, where builders have also been busy. One new hub outside Oxford city center, the BioEscalator, promotes commercial research in life sciences alongside academia; another, the Innovation Accelerator, focuses on advanced engineering.
✤有些建築之所以修建，是為了更新設施以保證牛津大學在全球的競爭力。在2014年，儘管有些部門仍在維多利亞時代的屋子中辦公，它依然是英國最頂尖的研究型大學。戰後科學區修建的建築已經拆掉了。繼而修建的建築將促進跨學科研究的發展。將之與商業聯繫在一起也是有推力的，牛津的老對手劍橋早就開始這麼做了，劍橋的建築修建活動也正鋪天蓋地進行。位於牛津城市中心之外的一個新實驗中心，BioEscalator，加強了生命科學的學術研究的同時也加強了其商業研究;另外，Innovation Accelerator則將注意力集中在先進引擎技術上。
Other buildings are being renovated. On March 21st the Weston Library (formerly the New Bodleian) opened to the public. In September a shiny new China Centre opened in the grounds of St Hugh's College. Construction is about to begin on the Beecroft physics building. The boldest newcomer, located next to the new Mathematical Institute, will be the Blavatnik School of Government (pictured), a glass-and-metal spaceship designed by the architects responsible for the “bird's nest” Olympic stadium in Beijing.
✤其他的建築正在改造中。在3月21日，韋斯頓圖書館(前身是新牛津大學圖書館)對公共開放。10月在聖·休學院，將成立一座嶄新的中國中心。Beecroft物理樓也要開始進行改造。位於新數學研究所旁最大膽的建築，Blavatnik政府學院(圖示)，是由設計建造北京奧運會建築“鳥巢”的建築家負責監製的玻璃-金屬建築。
Private funding has been crucial, the names on the buildings reflecting those following in the footsteps of Balliol, Bodley and Wadham—from Ukrainian businessmen to British financiers. The university plans to spend another 1.8 billion (2.7 billion) over the next decade, says William James, the pro-vice chancellor for planning. He hints at bigger projects to come.
✤私人募捐變得十分關鍵。建築上的名字如Balliol、, Bodley 、Wadham反映了從烏克蘭生意人到不列顛金融家的腳步。牛津大學計畫在下一個十年花費18億英鎊(27億美金)，該計畫前副經理William James說。他暗示未來將有更大的項目。
Oxford City Council is building, too, redeveloping Oxpens, a down-at-heel area near the railway station, into homes and offices. It has demolished the monstrous Westgate car park to make way for a 500 million shopping center. The railway station is getting a 200m refit, with plans for a “continental boulevard” outside to greet some of the 9.5m tourists who arrive in Oxford each year. A second railway station is under construction in the north of the city. Separately, an old branch line that links to the Mini factory in Cowley should open for passengers by 2020.
✤牛津城市議會也在建設中。這次將改建Oxpens區，把這個臨近火車站的不堪區域改造成住宅區和辦公區。這次改造拆除了巨大醜陋的Westgate汽車公園，將修建價值5億英鎊的購物中心。火車站獲得了2億英鎊的重修費用，計畫在火車站外周建成一個“大陸林蔭道”，以此吸引每年來牛津旅遊的9500萬遊客中的一部分。在這個城市北部，第二座火車站正在建設中。另外，在2020年，通往Cowley的Mini工廠的一條舊支線也將向遊人開放。
Yet if all this makes Oxford more attractive, it will accentuate another problem. Many people want to live or study there. Commuting to London is rising. Hedge funds are setting up in the city center. The number of graduate students has doubled (to 10,000) since 2001. And yet the green belt around the city does not permit Oxford to expand, driving house prices higher than anywhere in the country, proportional to income. Local opposition to a development of badly needed graduate student accommodation near Port Meadow, a beauty spot, has led to the biggest town-gown bust-up in years.
✤不過儘管所有這些都讓牛津更富魅力，這種情形導致了另外的問題。很多人希望在此學習或者生活。往返倫敦的費用一直上揚。Hedge基金正落戶在這個城市的中心。畢業學生的數量自2001年以來倍增。環繞這座城市的綠化帶限制了牛津城的擴張。這使得房屋價格相對於收入的比例而言高於全國其他地方。當地人反對發展靠近Port Meadow的畢業生居住區。這本是一個漂亮的景點，這些年已經成為最大的城鎮增長點。
Oxford has many articulate, conservation-minded residents. It is surrounded by pretty countryside and hemmed in by decades-old planning regulations. Its building boom is impressive. But growth will always be uncomfortable.
✤牛津有許多口齒清晰、內心保守的居民。它為漂亮的鄉村所環繞，也被數十年陳舊的管理所束縛。蓬勃的建造工程頗具震撼。但增長的同時總是帶來不適。
英文出處：It is the biggest construction boom since the Middle Ages
文章來源：夢中的吊車：中世紀以來最大的建造活動
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