to others, an ugly blot on the natural horizon.

對其他人來說，這是自然地平線上一個醜陋的汙點。

But love them or loathe them, most of the world has been on a mission to build their way to the stars, with one notable exception: this part here.

不過，不管你喜歡還是討厭他們，世界上大多數人都一直在為建造通往星空的道路而努力，但有一個明顯的例外：這裡的這一部分。

Only seven of the world's 1,000 tallest buildings are in the EU.

世界上最高的 1000 座建築中，只有 7 座位於歐盟。

North America is the birthplace of skyscrapers, but China is catching up fast, and the tallest of them all is in the Middle East.

北美是摩天大樓的發源地，但中國正在迅速趕上，而最高的摩天大樓則在中東。

So why has Europe remained so stunted? Well, although there are several different factors at play, the key one comes down to this: it's really difficult to build them there, typically because of complex regulations aimed at protecting cultural heritage.

那麼，為什麼歐洲的發展如此滯後呢？雖然有幾個不同的因素在起作用，但最關鍵的因素歸結起來就是：在那裡建造這些建築真的很困難，這通常是由於旨在保護文化遺產的複雜法規造成的。

Take building can exceed the height of the dome of St.

建築的高度可以超過聖彼得大教堂的穹頂。

Peter's Basilica, or else you'd face the wrath of God, the Pope, or at the very least, some city bureaucrats. Similarly, buildings in Athens are not allowed to block views of the Parthenon and are limited to just 12 stories.

彼得大教堂，否則你將面臨上帝、教皇或至少是一些城市官僚的憤怒。同樣，雅典的建築也不允許遮擋帕臺農神廟的景色，而且只能建 12 層。

Now, it's also true that over time, some taller buildings have occasionally slipped through the web of restrictions, but often they're both controversial and unloved.

現在，隨著時間的推移，一些較高的建築也確實偶爾穿過了限制網，但它們往往既飽受爭議，又無人問津。

Perhaps none more so than Paris's famously tall structure.

也許沒有比巴黎這座著名的高大建築更令人驚歎的了。

No, not that one;

不，不是那個；

this one, built in 1973.

這個，建於 1973 年。

So hated was this blight on the eye that a new law was swiftly introduced, limiting all new buildings in central Paris to just 37 meters. And then there's London, second only to Moscow of Europe's tallest skylines.

這種有礙觀瞻的現象如此令人痛恨，以至於很快就出臺了一項新法律，將巴黎市中心的所有新建築限制在 37 米以內。還有倫敦，歐洲僅次於莫斯科的最高天際線。

The city is certainly no stranger to skyscrapers, and the Shard alone towers more than 300 meters high.

這座城市對摩天大樓並不陌生，僅碎片大廈就高達 300 多米。

But even here, it's not so easy, largely because of a 1938 law designed to protect this: St.

但即使在這裡，也不是那麼容易，這主要是因為 1938 年的一項法律旨在保護這一點：St.

Paul's Cathedral, or at least a view of St.

保羅大教堂，或者至少是聖保羅大教堂的景色。

Paul's Cathedral, which was itself once the tallest building in London at 111 meters.

保羅大教堂本身曾是倫敦最高的建築，高達 111 米。

There are eight protected viewpoints that crisscross London, all of which must preserve a view of the iconic cathedral.

倫敦共有八個受保護的景觀點，所有這些景觀點都必須保留標誌性大教堂的景觀。

Try navigating that hurdle if you're a would-be skyscraper builder. There are, of course, other reasons than just cultural heritage and tight regulation that differentiate European skylines from its peers around the world.

如果你是摩天大樓的建造者，不妨試著克服這一障礙。當然，除了文化遺產和嚴格的監管之外，還有其他原因使歐洲的天際線與世界各地的天際線有所不同。

But so far, Europe has largely resisted the urge to build ever upwards.

但迄今為止，歐洲在很大程度上抵制了不斷向上發展的衝動。

Whether that's because this aging continent has been left behind by younger upcoming cities hungry to prove their modernity or instead a more conscious rejection of it might just be a matter of perspective.

這究竟是因為這片老化的大陸被那些渴望證明自己現代性的年輕新興城市甩在了後面，還是因為人們更有意識地拒絕現代性，這可能只是一個視角問題。