On the vertically oriented

Today, the more than 7,800 high-rise buildings put Hong Kong at the top of the list of vertically oriented cities, exceeding New York City's 5,819. More than 30 percent of Hong Kong's residents live in public housing blocks, some built in groups of 40-story look-alike apartment towers that are spaced 20 feet apart. For Westerners in Hong Kong, high-rise living can be liberating. One ex-pat couple from Australia said they can leave their young children with nannies and carry on with their social and working life, knowing the high-rise is friendly to kids.

A quick and colored glimpse of urban density from the back seat of a cab, on the highway: Sam Renseiw's visual deconstruction with radio sound. View the oscillating high-rises by clicking here, or enter the greenery above. (patafilm 154, 4.4 MB, mov/quicktime)