经济学人505:英国规划法 英国人之家

 　　Leaders

　　社论

　　Britain's planning laws

　　英国规划法

　　An Englishman's home

　　英国人之家

　　The shortage of housing is a gathering¹ national crisis. Rev² up the bulldozers

　　英国住房匮乏，危机重重，应大兴土木！

　　NOW that the economy is at last growing again, the burning issue inBritainis the cost of living.

　　既然英国最终恢复了经济增长，如今国民生活成本问题便成了燃眉之急。

　　Prices have outstripped³ wages for the past six years.

　　过去六年来，物价一直超过工资水平。

　　Politicians have duly harried⁴ energy companies to cut their bills, and flirted⁶ with raising the minimum wage.

　　政治家们已适时地督促能源公司削减账单，辅以增加最低工资水平的措施。

　　But the thing that is really out of control is the cost of housing.

　　但是真正失控的是房价。

　　In the past year wages have risen by 1%; property prices are up by 8.4%. This is merely the latest in a long surge.

　　去年，工资已增长了1%；房地产价格却增长了8.4%。

　　If since 1971 the price of groceries had risen as steeply as the cost of housing, a chicken would cost 51.

　　这仅仅是长期价格飙升中最近的一次。倘若自1971年，百货商品的价格以房价一样的增长比例大幅上涨，一只鸡将会卖到51英镑。

　　By subsidising mortgages, and thus boosting demand, the government is exacerbating⁷ the problem.

　　政府支助房屋贷款，进而促进需求，如此是不断使问题恶化。

　　But that is not the main reason for rising prices.

　　但是这并不是房价上涨的主要原因。

　　Driven by a baby-boom, immigration and longer lives,Britain's population is growing by around 0.8% per year, faster than in most rich countries.

　　受婴儿潮、移民、寿命延长的影响，英国人口每年以大约0.8%的比率增加，要比大多数富裕国家更快。

　　Foreign wealth, meantime, is pouring intoLondon.

　　同时，外来人口正不断涌入伦敦。

　　If supply were rising fast too, increasing demand would not matter; but it is not.

　　如果供给也增长迅速，那么日益增长的需求问题也就不值一提了；然而事与愿违。

　　Though some 221,000 additional households are formed in England annually⁸, just 108,000 homes were built in the year to September 2013.

　　尽管每年英国都会新建多达22.1万的额外住房，2013年年初到9月仅有10.8万建好。

　　The lack of housing is an economic drag.

　　住房的匮乏一直给经济拖后腿。

　　About three-quarters of English job growth last year was inLondonand its hinterlands, but high prices make it hard for people to move there from less favoured spots.

　　去年，四分之三的就业率增长是来源于伦敦与一些内地贸易区，但高昂的房价如今使人们对这些地方望而却步。

　　It also damages lives.

　　人们的生活也因此深受其害。

　　New British homes are smaller than those anywhere else in Europe, household size is rising inLondonand slums are spreading as immigrants squash into shared houses.

　　新的英国住房变得比欧洲其他地方更小，但随着移民不断挤进合住房屋，伦敦的家庭规模日益庞大，贫民区也不断扩张。

　　Inequality is growing, because the higher property prices are, the greater the advantage that accrues¹⁰ to those whose parents own their homes.

　　不平等性日益明显，因为房价越高，对于父母拥有房子的家庭占据的优势越大。

　　This is all the result of deliberate policymaking.

　　这都是政府经过深思熟虑后才制定的政策。

　　Since the 1940s house-building inBritainhas been regulated by a system designed to prevent urban sprawl¹¹, something it has achieved spectacularly well.

　　自从20世纪40年代，英国就有专门的体系来控制建房以免城市扩张，部分成果显著。

　　It is almost impossible to construct any new building anywhere without permission from the local council.

　　要大兴土木必须要经过当地议会批准。

　　In the places where people most want to live—suburbs at the edge of big cities—councils tend not to give it.

　　但对于人人皆眼红的宝地—紧邻大城市的郊区—议会一般是不会批准。

　　Ministers have tried to override¹² local NIMBYs.

　　部长们也努力推翻当地的邻避主义者。

　　The previous, Labour, government set regional house-building targets and bullied¹³ councils to accept high allocations.

　　之前的英国工党政府设立了区域性的建房目标以及强迫议会接受高额分配。

　　The current coalition¹⁴ has scrapped¹⁵ that approach in the name of local democracy—but it, too, has resorted to strong-arming councils to release more land.

　　现在的联合政府以当地民主之名不再采用了这种方式—但是它也有使高度警惕的议会让与出更多的土地。

　　It has also worked with the Bank of England to reduce the cost of credit and has subsidised high loan-to-value mortgages through a scheme called “Help to Buy”.

　　目前政府已和英格兰银行合作以减少信贷成本，也通过出台“购买帮手”这项体制以支持高额的贷款比率。

　　This has boosted demand for housing but not supply.

　　这都促进了人们对住房的购买需求，但没有提高住房的供给。

　　Compare global housing data over time with our interactive¹⁶ house-price tool

　　采用交互式的房价工具，比较全球楼市数据不同时段的变化

　　A much better way of encouraging house-building would be to give local councils bigger incentives¹⁷ to allow it.

　　鼓励建房更好的方式就是刺激当地议会批准它。

　　NIMBYism is not always irrational¹⁸.

　　邻避主义者并不总是不理性的。

　　Housing developments spoil views; incomers fill roads, schools and doctors' surgeries.

　　楼市的发展会改变他们的观点；不断有移民者搭乘汽车上班、进入学校学习、去医院看病。

　　Yet though land prices can soar 200-fold when planning permission is granted, councils cannot extract much of the increased value to spend on services.

　　然而尽管建筑许可证的颁发使房价翻了200番，议会却无法将增值的大部分用之于服务。

　　A new scheme, the Community Infrastructure¹⁹ Levy²⁰, nods in the right direction.

　　社区基础设施征税这一新的体系算是走对了方向。

　　But it is hedged with restrictions²¹ and is expected to raise just 650m a year nationally. That is not nearly enough to change minds.

　　但是它的限制条件依旧模糊不清，可能税收每年全国范围仅会增长6.5亿英镑。这还不足以改变人们的观念。

　　Local governments, which are short of cash these days, could be allowed to charge developers much more.

　　当地政府如今缺乏资金，倒是可以向开发商收取些费用。

　　But the ideal solution would be a tax on the value of land.

　　但理想的解决方案是对土地价值征税。

　　This would be low or zero for agricultural land and would jump as soon as permission to build is granted.

　　这对于农业土地而言，税收近乎是零或者十分低，只要批准建房，那么税收就会猛增。

　　It would prod²² builders to get to work quickly.

　　如此可刺激建房者高效率工作。

　　It would also help to capture the gains in house prices that result from investment in transport or schools.

　　同时，也有助于获取因投资交通或学校的房价收益。

　　The green belts that stop development around big cities should go, or at least should be greatly weakened.

　　阻止大城市发展的绿化带必须去除或至少应极力减少。

　　They increase journey times without adding to human happiness.

　　他们只是增加人们旅行时间而没有提升人们幸福指数。

　　London's, in particular, mostly protects scrubby agricultural fields and pony²³ paddocks.

　　尤其是伦敦的绿化带只是保护矮小的农业土地还有小马围场。

　　Parts would be prettier with housing on.

　　其中部分区域，在上面建上房屋会更宜人。

　　This blessed plot

　　天佑方案

　　The government should also do more to organise²⁴ and pay for industrial wastelands to be prepared for housing.

　　政府也应大力组织或买下一些工业废址以为建房做准备。

　　“Brownfield” sites are typically built on only when land prices rise enough to cover the high cost of development.

　　只有当土地价格上涨至足以覆盖发展的高成本时，“布朗菲尔德”地区才特别作为建筑地址。

　　Urban development corporations, such as the one established in the 1980s to regenerate²⁵ eastLondon's docklands, could assemble such plots of land more effectively than private developers.

　　城市发展性企业可以比私人开发商更有效地集合这类土地，比如20世纪80年代成立的一家城市发展性企业就使东部伦敦多克兰港区改头换面。

　　Not all these policies would be popular or easy.

　　并非所有的政策都容易实施或大众化推广。

　　Even the modest planning reforms introduced by the coalition are resented.

　　甚至联合政府引进的最保守的规划改革都令人怨声载道。

　　Building on fields in a country that is as crowded asEnglandwill always rile some people, however well-designed the system.

　　不管该体制有多好，在同英格兰那般拥挤的乡村田地上建房，总会激怒一些民众。

　　But the alternative is worse: a nation of renters and rentiers, where only the rich own houses

　　但是可选的办法更糟：国家属于房东与靠出租生活的人，只有这些有钱人才有房子。

　　1.flirt⁵ with 调戏，调情，卖俏

　　How could I believe it when you flirt with everyone?

　　当你和每个人调情的时候我怎么能相信你?

　　Most have chosen not to include a photograph, which seems odd. Who wants to flirt with a grey square?

　　大多数参与者都没有放照片，这显得很奇怪。有谁会愿意与一个灰色的方框调情呢？

　　2.squash into 挤进

　　He managed to squash into the car.

　　他设法挤进了车子。

　　We might squash five people into the back seat.

　　后座我们可以挤进5个人。

　　3.accrue⁹ to 累积的

　　Little benefit will accrue to london from the new road scheme.

　　新的道路计划对伦敦几乎没有什么好处。

　　Where the benefits are unlikely to accrue to private investors²⁶, who should pay for the early demonstration²⁷ models, which will require billions of dollars?

　　在利益不可能属于私人投资者的情况下，初期模型演示的数十亿美元该由谁买单？

　　4.design to 用于设计

　　We can use design to make a website unique and more memorable²⁸.

　　我们能用设计使一个网站独一无二且更易记住。

　　Note: marriott has recently changed their design to be more like westin.

　　注：marriott近期将他们的设计改得更类似于westin的方式。

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

3 outstripped   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• That manufacturer outstripped all his competitors in sales last year. 那个制造商家去年的销售量超过了所有竞争对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth. 母亲和她自己的想象力远远超过了事实。 来自辞典例句

4 harried   

v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰

参考例句：

• She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
• The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 flirt   

v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者

参考例句：

• He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
• He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

6 flirted   

v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She flirted her fan. 她急速挥动着扇子。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• During his four months in Egypt he flirted with religious emotions. 在埃及逗留的这四个月期间，他又玩弄起宗教情绪来了。 来自辞典例句

7 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

9 accrue   

v.(利息等)增大，增多

参考例句：

• Ability to think will accrue to you from good habits of study.思考能力将因良好的学习习惯而自然增强。
• Money deposited in banks will accrue to us with interest.钱存在银行，利息自生。

10 accrues   

v.增加( accrue的第三人称单数 )；（通过自然增长）产生；获得；（使钱款、债务）积累

参考例句：

• If you put money in the bank, interest accrues. 如你将钱存于银行，则自然生息。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Interest accrues on a bank accout. 银行账户的利息在增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sprawl   

vi.躺卧，扩张，蔓延；vt.使蔓延；n.躺卧，蔓延

参考例句：

• In our garden,bushes are allowed to sprawl as they will.在我们园子里，灌木丛爱怎么蔓延就怎么蔓延。
• He is lying in a sprawl on the bed.他伸开四肢躺在床上。

12 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

13 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

16 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

17 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

18 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

21 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

22 prod   

vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励

参考例句：

• The crisis will prod them to act.那个危机将刺激他们行动。
• I shall have to prod him to pay me what he owes.我将不得不催促他把欠我的钱还给我。

23 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

24 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

25 regenerate   

vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的

参考例句：

• Their aim is to regenerate British industry.他们的目的是复兴英国的工业。
• Although it is not easy,you have the power to regenerate your life.尽管这不容易，但你有使生活重获新生的能力。

26 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

27 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

28 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。