Positano, situated dramatically on the severe slopes of Italy's amalfi coast, is probably the most dramatic human settlement I have ever seen. The natural scenery is spectacular, but what makes the place truly unique is how the town is integrated with the landscape. It is done in such a way I have never seen before. It is, for starters, incredibly dense. The houses hug the side of the hill so tightly you cannot see any rock, grass or other natural feature (see below). More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that is appears to be built on the side of a cliff, with some streets/pedestrain walkways at 40 degree angles.
An ongoing thread at SSP about the Kowloon Walled City, the famed ultra-dense squatters village in Hong Kong, got me thinking: is Positano, or another comparable town like it in Europe, now the closest thing to the KWC? Maybe not in the sense of human density, but rather in the sense of a completely bizarre and interesting human development that takes on a unique appearance?
Positano
Jesus!
Kowloon Walled city...
Obviously, there are lements of crime, poverty and mistique that exist with KWC that don't with Positano, but I think they are both very interesting.>
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