I am 29 years old.

我現在 29 歲。

I work for the New York City Department of City Planning

我在紐約市城市規劃部門工作，

as a city planner, and I make $62,000 a year.

我是個城市規劃師，年薪 62,000 美元。

The Department of City Planning writes the zoning resolution,

城市規劃部門負責撰寫土地使用分區條例

which is an enormous 2000- or 3000-page document

那是一份多達 2000 或 3000 千頁的文件，

that dictates what can be built where,

規定哪裡可以建築什麼使用類型的建物，

and so we work with other city agencies.

所以我們要與其他城市局處共事。

We work with the public to try to understand the best use for buildings within New York City, depending on their neighborhood and their context.

我們與公眾一起共事，試著根據他們的鄰里與背景了解在紐約市裡最適當的建物使用類型為何，

Initially in my job, I was hired to work in the Queens office on a project in southern Queens in Old Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel,

我剛開始工作時，我是受雇於皇后區辦公室的一個南皇后區的計畫案，這個計畫案跟舊霍華德海灘、漢密爾頓海灘以及布羅德通道有關，

and these are neighborhoods that are very vulnerable to sea level rise and future tidal flooding.

這裡有些鄰里在面對海平面上升與未來潮汐氾濫方面相當脆弱。

What I love most about my job is working with the public.

對於我的工作，我最喜歡的是與公眾共事的部分。

That's a love that I discovered when I was in college,

當我上大學時我才發現到對此的熱愛，

and I had a professor who really taught me

那時有個教授教導我

that successful city planning happens when you engage with the community.

當你融入社區時才能做出成功的城市規劃。

If you go in and figuratively bulldoze a community,

如果你直接進入一個社區，比如說剷平一個社區

and you don't get buy-in,

但你不被支持，

your plan isn't going to be successful.

你的計畫就不會成功。

It's easy for city planners and other government employees to sometimes forget

對於城市規劃師與其他政府雇員有時候很容易忘記，

that just because we're the experts doesn't mean we know everything about a neighborhood.

就因為我們是專家並不代表我們了解鄰里的一切。

So I actually really enjoy talking to people who have lived in these neighborhoods for years,

所以我其實很享受跟已經居住在這些鄰里好些年的民眾聊天，

learning from their experience.

從他們的經驗中學習。

A lot of people living in coastal neighborhoods have observed their neighborhood change over time.

許多居住在沿海鄰里的人已經觀察到他們的鄰里隨著時間在改變。

They know that they are subject to more frequent flooding,

他們知道他們會更常受到海水氾濫影響，

and that's something that my maps can tell me in some way,

那是我透過某種方式可以從我的地圖上得知的資訊，

but it's really much more powerful when you hear that from the public,

但當你親耳聽到公眾說出這項資訊時，真的會有更深的感受，

and their story can back up your decisions.

而且他們的故事能夠支持你的決定。

As for the most difficult part of the job,

而工作中最困難的部分，

sometimes I would say that's working with the public.

有時我會覺得是跟公眾一起共事。

It's exhausting.

會讓人心力交瘁。

You have to be on, communicating,

你必須上前、溝通、

talking, getting feedback,

對話、獲得反饋、

being polite, you know, writing everything down,

要有禮貌、把所有訊息寫下來、

synthesizing it, understanding it, and that's a lot of work,

組合這些訊息、了解來龍去脈，那是個大工程，

but I think the more frustrating part of my job is the slow pace of bureaucracy sometimes.

但有時候我覺得我的工作中最讓人沮喪的部分是官僚體制的緩慢步調。

I believe that government is sometimes necessarily slow.

我相信政府單位有時候是需要慢慢來。

It's good to not do things in a hasty way,

不要太過草率的做事是好事，

but there are certain things that slow down decision making that are really frustrating.

但有些過程會減緩決策速度，那真的令人很沮喪。

For example, some things that are frustrating are when a new mayor is elected.

舉例來說，當選出新市長時，有些事就會被影響而令人灰心。

So you could have been working on a project for the past two, three years

所以你可能已經執行一個計畫案兩、三年，

that was gaining a lot of traction and maybe almost ready to implement,

這個計畫案已經受到很多人注目，而且幾乎要開始執行了，

and a new mayor and a new administration might come in and say,

後來有個新的市長上任，有個新的行政團隊可能會過來說，

"We don't care about that issue as much right now.

「我們現在沒有那麼在意這個議題了。」

"Keep working on it, but we're going to delay releasing that report

「這計畫還是要繼續執行，但我們會延後發布這個報告」

"because we want to focus on affordable housing."

「因為我們想要專注在可負擔住宅上。」

Maybe that issue is also a noble cause,

或許那個議題也是個高尚的理想，

but it's frustrating when you've been working on something so hard to have it be put on the back burner.

但當你在某事上努力很久，卻只是將它放在次要位置，還是很令人沮喪。

Most of the setbacks in my work have been more bureaucratic in nature.

說到底我工作上大部分受到的挫折都還是來自官僚體制。

I have to say in general when I looked at becoming a city planner I wasn't thinking about salary.

我必須要說，整體來說當我想成為一名城市規劃師時，我考慮的不是薪水問題。

I was thinking about how cool it would be to make maps,

我思考的是能夠製作地圖會有多酷，

to work and understand a wide variety of issues,

能從事並了解各式各樣的議題有多酷，

and to pull it all together, and to collaborate,

能夠將所有事物整合在一起，一同協作，

and to work with the public.

與公眾一起工作會有多酷。

Those were all things that really interested me.

那些是我真的很感興趣的事。

Of course, I knew that city planning provided a fair income.

當然，我知道城市規劃的收入是很公正的。

You know, it's not at the low end.

它不會是最低薪資。

It's not at the high end, but it's a fair-paying job as a government employee,

也不是最高薪資，但受雇於政府部門，這是個薪資很公正的工作

so I'm grateful for that.

所以我很感謝。

Raises in New York City Department of City Planning are not always easy to come by.

在紐約市城市規劃部門裡，加薪不是那麼地容易。

I think a lot of us work there because we love the work we do,

我認為我們大部分人會在這裡工作是因為我們愛這份工作，

and we don't necessarily expect or rely on regular increases in pay.

而且我們不一定期望或依靠定期加薪。

Part of the reason is that many of us at City Planning are grant funded.

一部分的原因是我們許多在城市規劃局的人都獲得了資助。

So there's often stipulations as part of like a federal grant

所以通常會有條文規定像聯邦捐款的部分，

as to how much money different people can make

規定每個人可以得到多少錢，

or how many people can make this higher amount.

或是有多少人可以得到更高金額。

So some of us might be in the city planner one position for a long time

所以我們有些人可能會負責某一區域的城市規劃好長一段時間，

if we don't want to move onto other projects.

如果我們不想要改做其他計畫案的話。

I could possibly get a promotion if I were to work on a non-resiliency project,

如果我做的是固定計畫案，我可能可以升職，

but that's not really what I want to do.

但那不是我想做的。

I think the different levels of titles in New York City go from city planner one to city planner four,

我想紐約市不同職等的規劃師，從第一職等到第四職等，

if I'm not mistaken, and then after that, the other option for you is

如果我沒搞錯的話，然後在第四職等後你的其他選擇是

going into a managerial position or an administrative planner position.

擔任管理位置或行政位置的規劃師。

So that's someone who is really managing a group of people

在那個位置的人實際上是在管理一群規劃師，

rather than their primary work being the city planning stuff that I love to do.

他們的主要工作並不是我喜歡的城市規劃工作。