Kowloon was built as a small military fort around the turn of the 20th century. When the Chinese and English governments abandoned it after World War II, the area attracted refugees and people in search of affordable housing. With no single architect, the urban center continued to grow as people stacked buildings on top of one another and tucked new structures in between existing ones to accommodate the growing population without expanding beyond the original fort’s border.
With only a small pocket of community space at the center, Kowloon quickly morphed into a labyrinth of shops, services, and apartments connected by narrow stairs and passageways through the buildings. Rather than navigate the city through alleys and streets, residents traversed the structures using slim corridors that always seemed to morph, an experience that caused many to refer to Kowloon as “a living organism.”
Direct link to the full image: https://staging.cohostcdn.org/attachment/11357255-b6b9-4a57-98eb-823776a4a828/KowloonWalledCityGrandPanorama.jpg
This is so damn cool. I would love a print of this to hang up and stare at
I would love a print of this to hang up and stare at
If you haven’t seen it, there’s another comment in this thread with a ~66MP image that looks suitable for printing.
I wonder how accurate it is though. What did the artist base it on?
Before demolition, though, a team of Japanese researchers meticulously documented the architectural marvel
Is what the article says.
Hello rabbit hole. Not falling down you today.
Very not solar punk, but very cool. Love the vibe of super dense living.
