Kowloon: The Wild City that Defied Rules!

https://www.ihadnoclue.com/article/1069003949754810369

Kowloon Walled City, situated in Hong Kong, was an extraordinary urban experiment that challenged regular city planning and governance. Originally a small Chinese military fort in the 1840s, it evolved into a densely populated, self-organized settlement due to a jurisdictional vacuum post the First Opium War. Neither the British nor the Chinese authorities exercised complete control, allowing the city to develop its own rules, free from taxation or conventional governance. Its population, which reached an estimated 33,000, lived in a sprawling, irregular structure that was constantly adapted to meet immediate needs. Despite the absence of law enforcement and formal regulations, residents established their social order and service systems. The city, however, was demolished in the 1990s, and the site was transformed into a park. Today, Kowloon Walled City is a critical case study in urban development, community formation, and human adaptability, offering significant insights into the capacity of communities to self-organize when required.