In the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years.(他住在崭新摩天大楼阴影下的帐篷里，已经无家可归大约五年了。) At one point he swivelled(转过身) around, pointed up at a crane(起重机) on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.”
2021年夏天，我走访了加拿大多伦多一座公园里的无家可归者社区，并与其中一位居民交谈。他住在帐篷里，帐篷的阴影外就是崭新的摩天大楼；他已经无家可归大约五年了。说到一半，他转过身，指着天际线上的一台起重机说：“他们盖那些楼是给谁的？肯定不是给我。”
He was right. And he captured something experienced by ordinary people around the world: the growing conviction that the housing system is no longer tethered to their needs.(他道出了世界各地普通人共同的感受：人们越来越确信，住房体系已不再与他们的需求挂钩。) What he was pointing at is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of democracy.
他说得对。他道出了世界各地普通人共同的感受：人们越来越确信，住房体系已不再与他们的需求挂钩。他所指出的，不仅仅是一场住房危机，更是一场民主危机。
Democracy promises that our living conditions are shaped by all of us, regardless of(不论，不顾) our station(社会地位) in life. Yet decisions about housing have been systematically removed from democratic control and handed to financial actors such as private equity firms, pension funds and real-estate investment trusts.(然而，住房决策却被系统性地从民主控制中剥离，交到了私募股权公司、养老基金和房地产投资信托等金融行为体手中。) Working hand in hand with governments and banks, these actors have decoupled(使脱钩) the price of housing from what ordinary people earn. They’ve transformed our homes into a toy for wealthy investors. I call this alliance Housing Inc.(作者创造的贬义标签，指金融资本与政府结成的住房联盟)
民主承诺，我们的生活条件由所有人共同塑造，不论社会地位高低。然而，住房决策却被系统性地从民主控制中剥离，交到了私募股权公司、养老基金和房地产投资信托等金融行为体手中。这些行为体与政府和银行携手合作，将房价与普通人的收入脱钩。他们把我们的家变成了富有投资者的玩物。我把这个联盟称为“住房公司”。