City of Darkness Revisited dismantles the mythology surrounding Kowloon Walled City, replacing decades of urban legend with documented architectural history drawn from photographs, drawings, and previously unpublished archival material.
About This Book
Two decades after its demolition, Kowloon Walled City endures as one of the most debated built environments of the twentieth century — its reputation sustained as much by myth as by fact. This volume, designed and edited by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot, the team behind the original City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City, returns to the subject with a more rigorous eye. Drawing on a substantial body of previously unpublished photographs, architectural drawings, and documents, and anchored by an extended essay from Hong Kong-based writer and journalist Fionnuala McHugh, the book reconstructs the Walled City's actual development and spatial logic — separating the extraordinary architectural reality from the legends that have come to obscure it.
Key Features
- 356 pages of photographs, architectural drawings, and historical documents, many previously unpublished
- Designed and edited by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot; extended essay by Fionnuala McHugh
- Published by Watermark, ISBN 9781873200889
What You'll Discover
- How Kowloon Walled City's built form actually developed over time, as distinct from the myths that have come to define its popular image
- The spatial and structural logic of one of the world's densest informal settlements, read through architectural drawings and documentation
- A body of previously unpublished photographic and archival material that reframes the standard account of the Walled City
- A long-form journalistic investigation by Fionnuala McHugh that situates the Walled City's architecture within its social and historical context
About the Author
Ian Lambot is the editor of this volume and co-creator, alongside photographer Greg Girard, of the original City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City. Fionnuala McHugh is a Hong Kong-based writer and journalist who contributes the book's central extended article.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 356
- Dimensions: 280 x 280 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781873200889
- Publisher: Watermark
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects, urban historians, and researchers with an interest in informal urbanism, high-density settlement, and the architectural history of Hong Kong.