If you were asked to guess which city in the world has the most basketball courts…you probably wouldn’t say Hong Kong. This dense urban area has a surprisingly hidden secret – and that’s it plethora of places to play and enjoy the game.
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How, exactly, has anyone come to this conclusion? This discovery comes from American photographer Austin Bell, who spent three years documenting every basketball court in the city, capturing over 58,000 photos of 2,549 courts.
The prevalence of these courts stems from Hong Kong’s unique urban planning policies dating back to the 1950s and ’60s. Public housing guidelines mandated one basketball court per 10,000 residents—a higher ratio than any other outdoor sports facility. The courts’ compact size made them ideal for Hong Kong’s space-constrained environment, allowing them to be creatively integrated into the urban fabric: on rooftops, between skyscrapers, and even in remote island communities.
Bell’s project, showcased in his exhibition “Shooting Hoops,” reveals how these courts serve multiple purposes beyond basketball. From choral practices to pet tortoise walking and drying orange peels, they’ve become vital community spaces in one of the world’s densest cities. The courts represent Hong Kong’s innovative approach to urban design, where efficiency meets community needs, creating what urban design expert Jeroen van Ameijde calls a “hyper-dense mix of both life and work, commerce and efficiency.”
Shooting Hoops will include a book launch and exhibition at the Blue Lotus Gallery until February 23rd. Located at 28 Pound Lane, Tal Ping Shan in Hong Kong, it’s definitely worth a visit if you are there. And the book will be a fascinating one to own and enjoy for basketball lovers around the world.