As a city, Hong Kong doesn't have it easy; impossibly dense and smothered by unsympathetic hilly terrain, the gymnastics that it performs to survive has lead to the growth of unique urban spaces. Cities Without Ground deconstructs the unfathomable spaghetti of pedestrian bridges, tunnels and walkways, which make up pedestrian Hong Kong. The book, created by motley trio of architects and academics: Jonathan Solomon, Ciara Wong and Adam Frampton, graphically dissects this labyrinth in a series of snappy axonometric drawings of 32 various routes through the city.
Read more about the story of Hong Kong's pedestrian maze after the break...
The city's love affair with segregated pedestrian routes started in the 1960's, when the Hong Kong Land Company built an aerial walkway to connect one of its luxury hotels to the second floor of a shopping mall. The resulting influx of well-heeled tourists meant that higher rent could be charged on the second floor shops, so naturally they began to do this on whatever project they could. This also inspired the government to build walkways stemming from public transit hubs into the city, meaning it could easily separate the movement of vehicular traffic from pedestrians. Since, the network has continuously grown incrementally, as needed, by both the government and business owners.
