Kowloon walled city

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A unique quirk of history created one of the strangest and most fascinating urban settlements the world has ever seen.

The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was built gradually—building on top of building—over time. Without a single architect, the ungoverned and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution until it was demolished in 1993. Photo documentation of the site exists but for the most part much of the inner-workings of the city remained a mystery. Perhaps due to its proximity, Japan, in particular, developed a keen interest towards Kowloon. Its demolition in 1993…

The City's dozens of alleyways were often only 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) wide, and had poor lighting and drainage.[18] An informal network of staircases and passageways also formed on upper levels, which was so extensive that one could travel north to south through the entire City without ever touching solid ground.[4] cyborganthropology.com/Kowloon_Walled_City

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

Our passion for photography is only matched by our love of history and everything that’s vintage. We firmly believe that only a solid grasp of history can help us avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and lead to a better future for everyone. And there’s nothing like a direct comparison to really show us how much time and life have changed things.

A unique quirk of history created one of the strangest and most fascinating urban settlements the world has ever seen.

We can't wrap our heads around how crowded Kowloon Walled City was.

Synthetic urban hell - a video game arcade near Tokyo modelled after Kowloon Walled City | 2021-07-18