Hong Kong has an unique set of urban characteristics. Beyond what it is known for: a vertical city boasting the highest number of skyscrapers in any city around the world, it reveals a growing lack of space. Build on a set of island, with mountaineous terrain covering the majority of the available land, all that is left to build are tiny slivers of space where the ever rising population needs to be housed. To solve the land shortage, the Hong Kong government has been building hyper dense 'new towns'. The results are staggering and form the subject of this photo-essay. 2 seemingly completely unassociated element converge in the hong kong landscape: high rise living with abundant green topped mountains. It reveals a set of problems, and explains the deeper meaning of the social unrests currently overtaking Hong Kong: is there still a liveable future in Hong Kong?
Kris Provoost is a photographer of architecture and infrastructure. He has been living in China for the past 10 years (Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong). With a background as an architect, he photographs buildings and cities with the aim of better understanding the way we live. Through different photo-essays, he looks at how we live, and how we as humans coexist with the often overwhelming urban context of Chinese cities.
More information: www.krisprovoost.com
