《外刊精读》大城市里的穷人为何将会被迫离开？

新冠疫情将会对城市生活造成怎样的影响一直是很多人关心的话题。但谈及此事，人们首先想到的往往是白领们可能会离开大城市，在未来依靠远程办公来维持工作运转。但这篇《金融时报》的报道却指出，实际上更有可能出现的趋势是：大城市里的低收入群体将会被迫离开。他们的撤离会带来怎样的深远影响？这一波“新冠后遗症”又会持续多久？一起来听今天的讲解。 英文原文 Why the urban poor will be forced to leave big cities 大城市里的穷人为何将会被迫离开？ By Simon Kuper When people speculate about how the pandemic will change big cities, they mostly talk about the Zooming classes fleeing the Big Smoke. Yet there are only modest signs of this happening so far. Rather, as the pandemic enters its mass-impoverishment phase, another development looks more likely: the new poor will leave big cities. This is the exodus that could reshape urban life in the coming years. 当人们猜测新冠大流行会给大城市带来怎样的改变时，他们大多谈论的是“Zoom群体”逃离大城市。然而，目前为止，却没有多少迹象说明他们正在逃离。相反，随着疫情进入“大规模致贫”阶段，另一种发展趋势看起来更有可能：那些新近沦为穷人的人将会离开大城市。这种人口撤离可能会在未来几年重塑城市生活。 As the poor leave, some young people (though maybe not enough) will replace them, because the metropolis remains the ideal place to start a career and play the mating game. Underused central business districts and shops will eventually be converted into homes, which will make housing cheaper and cities even more fun. 随着穷人离开，一些年轻人将会取代他们（虽然可能人数不够），因为大城市仍然是开启职业生涯和择偶的理想之地。没得到充分利用的中心商业区和商店最终将会转化为住宅，房价会因此降低，城市也会有更多乐趣。 Big cities will rebound. A decade from now, low-paid service workers will fill poorer urban neighbourhoods once more. Then cities will again have to choose their response. Make these people's lives bearable by instituting a local minimum wage? Automate poorly paid functions like cleaning, care and cappuccino-making? Build cheap housing for essential workers? Or exploit yet another generation of the urban precariat? 大城市势必复兴。十年后，低收入的服务业工作者将会再次填满那些较为贫穷的城市社区。那时，这些城市将不得不再度选择如何回应：它们会制定当地最低工资标准，好让这些人的生活能过得去吗？会使诸如清洁、护理和制作卡布奇诺这样的低收入工作实现自动化吗？会为从事必要工作的人建造廉价房吗？还是会再次剥削城市中又一波没有“铁饭碗”的穷人？