SKYSCRAPERS SWAY AFTER JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

This isn't new, but amazing nonetheless. The 9.0 earthquake that decimated areas of Japan in March 2011 was documented on a scale we've never seen before. With the advent of mobile technology dropping video cameras in everyone's pockets, we're able to get a first-hand account of pretty much anything across the globe with the help of video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo.

Take a look at this video [01:33] shot from a high-rise directly after the earthquake struck. It creates a whole new concept of motion sickness. And do yourself a favor and play "Where Is My Mind?" by the Pixies in the background as you watch. 

WAIT, THIS REALLY EXISTED?

Since everybody is already talking about Hong Kong's role in the Snowden matter, let's head over to China for a fascinating example of live-in urban decay. Originally built as a walled-in military barracks, Kowloon Walled City exploded with unsupervised vertical construction in the 1970s. It topped out at 14 stories and housed about 50,000 squatters during its peak in the late-1980s before being torn down by the Chinese government.

The regulations within Kowloon Walled City were similar to the lawlessness of international waters, with government officials adopting a "hands off" policy towards its development and upkeep. Run by Triads, the city was constructed of roughly 500 interconnected buildings that almost completely blocked out the sun from within. These buildings were constructed without the help of engineers or architects, so there's no way in hell they met safety or sanitation standards. 

Trash rotted away on the rooftops, gambling and prostitution ran rampant, and the drug trade boomed within its confines (particularly heroin). But despite its dangerous shortcomings, residents seemed generally positive and managed to open small schools and fabrication shops. Despite the tight squeeze (about 40 square feet per person), residents even had electricity and running water.

The fellas over at 99% Invisible summed up the living space pretty well:

"Think about living in a 1,200 square foot home. Then imagine yourself living with nine other people. Then imagine that your building is only one unit of a 12-story building, and every other unit is as full as yours. Then imagine hundreds of those buildings crammed together in a space the size of four football fields."

Nope. Not for me. 

For photos of the interior, check out Greg Girard's gallery that includes everything from drug use and unlicensed dentistry to fish balls and plunger manufacturing. It's incredible that it never suffered a major fire with so much refuse lying about. 

And click here for a cool infographic, courtesy South China Morning Post. 

JERRY'S MAP

Cartography lovers rejoice! I just came across a short video (09:40) titled Jerry's Map, which introduced me to an incredibly fascinating world created by one man and inhabited by none. His map has become a lifestyle; a beautiful and never-ending project with a brilliant past and unknown future.  

Jerry's map is a half-century old, as he first put pen to paper at the age of 15 back in 1963. Every sheet of his map has been saved, archived, and catalogued in an Excel spreadsheet. While digital technology plays a big role in organizing the past, the map itself (purely analog) can't hold a candle to modern computer games like Minecraft and SimCity.

So how does the map work, you ask? Jerry draws a card every morning. Each card is marked with instructions that must be followed. Development occurs based on the card drawn, like the addition of airports, cemeteries, universities, buildings, and transit systems (among others). The three of spades, however, creates what he calls a new void, which forces an new and ever-expanding world to be created on top of the old one. Watch the video for further explanation on that one. I love the rules he's created to bypass the destruction of the existing world. Jerry is extremely adamant about sticking to the rules that he wrote himself.

The intricacy of Jerry's Map is astounding. He really has created his own world; a world that he can both develop and destroy within a set of guidelines. Despite his ability to essentially play God in this realm, Jerry doesn't exactly see it that way.

"I'm totally not a religious person, but sometimes I have feelings about that deck of cards that I don't want [the map] disturbed because there's a message in that combination. There's no big guy with a beard sitting at a desk who figured out where all the cards were supposed to go, but what comes out of it I'm very interested to see. There's a reality in there. That's the future predictor." 

This project reminds me of the countless hours I spent playing SimCity as a teenager. I'd immediately turn all disasters OFF, as I wasn't interested in having earthquakes and aliens destroy the detailed urban landscapes I poured my time into. Once one city was up and running, I'd create another based on the lessons learned from my experience. I guess a combination of boredom and impatience was my own personal three of spades.

Since then, I've graduated from fictional maps to real maps and find myself spending hours playing around with Google Maps and the Philadelphia GeoHistory map, which allows users to overlay a multitude of decades-old maps over the current street grid. Thanks to this resource, I've learned about dozens of long-demolished buildings all across the city, some of which I'll be writing about for Curbed over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for that in a couple weeks.

[My own scribbles. Thanks Jerry.]

Next time you have ten minutes to spare, watch Jerry's Map on Vimeo (embedded below). I watched it a few times and found myself sketching all sorts of shapes, lines, and crosshatches. Rules don't apply on paper when you never have to show anybody. Give it a shot.

LEANING CITIES

I spend a lot of time researching cities and properties through Google Maps, and I'm always delighted to find areas where Google offers 45˚ views of the landscape. ​Many of the larger American cities have this feature, which is created by stitching together a series of aerial photos to form a detailed composite that can be viewed from the north, south, east, and west.

Unlike the straightforward top-down view that is shot via satellite, the 45˚ view is a little less forgiving when it comes to perspective. It's pretty cool to come across the occasional inconsistencies of these intricately detailed landscapes, so I've put together a gallery of screenshots from five major American cities that give us a wild look at contorted skylines and mismatched towers.

​Atlanta, GA

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

​Houston, TX

​Houston, TX

​Los Angeles, CA

​Los Angeles, CA

​Los Angeles, CA

​Philadelphia, PA

​Philadelphia, PA

​For a great list of the best 45˚-enabled cities, check out 15 Google Maps with Stunning 45˚ Views at Condé Nast Traveler.

SUPER RARE HD VIDEO OF NYC IN 1999

I just came across this great video from WBNS-TV Columbus shot across Brooklyn and Manhattan on May 20, 1999. This was back before HD cameras were the norm, so WBNS sent a few of their videographers to New York in order to test out their new toy for the first time.

It's so evident that this video was shot in a totally different era. The pre-9/11 America that I grew up in just seems so carefree in retrospect. Of course there were problems, but it was a world of innocence ​when compared to the world we're a part of today. There were no constant threats, no overwhelming fear, no images of fireballs and unimaginable destruction seared into our minds. Those were the sorts of things you'd read about in books or see in films. We never anticipated it becoming part of our own realities.

I don't expect the world to ever return to this form in my lifetime, but at least we can take a moment to look back at what once was.​

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WOLF'S "ARCHITECTURE OF DENSITY"

​German-born photographer Michael Wolf focuses his work on life within cities, namely his current residence of Hong Kong. His photo series Architecture of Density​ offers a glimpse at the beauty that lies within the monotony of Hong Kong's residential high-rises. Interrupted at random by an errant towel hung from a railing or a bright window treatment, each photo hits me with an initial punch of claustrophobia that subsides as soon as I take a closer look at the enormity of these buildings.

Check it out for yourself -- Wolf's portfolio is filled with some incredible ​projects.