Kowloon
Reflection
The importance of our knowledge in built environment and building laws~
There is no doubt of the importance of building regulations evident of how the Walled City of Kowloon turned out. When watching the videos, I found the density and aesthetic of the walled city to be very hideous. The conditions these people have to live with, I just cannot fathom how they are able to put up with it. With only10-30 square meters-sized apartment that houses 2-3 generations, limited electricity and water, damp and humid alleyways, unsanitary conditions, amongst a list of other problems, these all pose many threats to the health and safety of the residents.
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The Walled City of Kowloon also serves to prove how vital architects and engineers are in the design and build of structures. Some of the buildings in the Walled City are literally slanted and looks like it might collapse if not for the buildings surrounding it to hold it up. Because of this, the lumps of buildings form into one monstrous entity which is a total eyesore, coupled with the fact that these apartments are improperly built it looks like it is a disaster waiting to happen.
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The Walled City has taught me that building structures without laws and professionals is a sure-fire way to creating a hazardous and poor standard of living.
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Impactful scene~
In the second video, the scene showing unlicensed practicing dentists was very scary to me. I believe that healthcare should be affordable but I also believe that licenses are enacted for a reason. It is quite unbelievable to think that these dentists would practice without licenses because licenses are to prove that the dentist would have the minimal degree of competency that is necessary to ensure that the public's health, safety, and welfare are secured. This just proves to me how important the government is, sure it may be corrupt, but even then at least there is a higher authority that regulates and enforces law. When there is no higher figure to watch out for illegal activites and immoral practices (such as these dentists), it is then when trouble arises. It doesn't help that the Triad is the 'governing body' because they are quite literally the mafia of China, it kind of shows how lawless the Walled City is when their government is a gang of criminals.