Sardines in Hong Kong

There are times in my tiny New York City life that I want to thrust myself out onto the fire escape, tear my shirt open and just suck in all the oxygen I can get.  It is so easy to feel claustrophobic here – we are packed in like sardines – on the train, on the sidewalk, at work, in our apartment buildings – sometimes I just get hungry for my own space.

But these tower blocks in Hong Kong are somethin’ else entirely. I need to breathe into a paper bag.  Photographer Michael Wolf photographs what he calls the “architecture of density,” and his photos of Hong Kong literally make my heart race – they’re beautiful but terrifying all the same.  So many lives in such tight quarters – something tells me you don’t just bang a broom on the ceiling to get your upstairs neighbor to turn down the bass.

What do you think – would you enjoy the energy of a neighborhood like this or does it make you schwitz?

Some of my favorites below, but check out more of Wolf’s photography here on his website!

(Via Photojojo)