Life inside the densest place on earth: Remembering Kowloon Walled City

Now picture 33,000 people living there, within the space of one city block. That was Kowloon Walled City, once considered the densest settlement on earth.

“A huge monstrosity of buildings

Before it was demolished twenty years ago, photographer Greg Girard spent years with collaborator Ian Lambot documenting this unique Hong Kong phenomenon, and remembers being amazed when he first saw it.

“It was a huge monstrosity of buildings,” recalls Girard. “It didn’t look like anything else.”

After all, the Walled City was a kind of historical accident. A former Qing dynasty fortress, it never fully came under the regulation of the British colonial government in Hong Kong. As a result, its residents were free to build their dwellings as they wished, ignoring safety codes.

Tan believes the spirit of the Walled City continues to pulse through the heart of Hong Kong itself.

“Go to The Peak and look down upon this amazing collection of buildings coming together — it’s almost like a blown up version of the Walled City, right? Each building is related to the next building. New programs evolve because of the connections.”

This organic chaos, he says, has been an inspiration for his own work.

“Many architects and urban planners like control,” he says. “But people like to get lost in the city. In my design process, I always consciously try to allow accidents, to allow others to participate, to surprise me.”

CNN