The most densely populated area of the world is a spot in Hong Kong called Mong Kok. The name of the area translates in Cantonese to "Busy Corner" and on a Saturday night, it’s impossible to find a street corner not crowded with people. You walk a block and your nose is hit with the smell of street vendors. Take a step and you smell pungent curry fish balls. Turn around and walk down a few feet and you start to smell doughy egg waffles, a popular dessert made in a waffle maker. Even compared to New York City, Hong Kong is a city that's unafraid and unashamed of how crowded and bustling it is. Yet Mong Kok isn't alone. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
As part of my architecture course at the City University of Hong Kong, I have been exploring some of the city's architecture and development projects and learning more about how the city copes with limited land and how this impacts the way people live here.
We all need a place to sleep at night. In New York City, a lot of us live in apartment buildings. In Hong Kong, that too is the norm. For such a tightly-packed space, apartment buildings here can reach more than 25 stories and apartment complexes can house thousands of people. Yet even with such tightly-packed homes in the city, housing is still in short supply.
