Mapping Hong Kong’s Hidden Courts Through Aerial Photography

Photographer Austin Bell invested 140 days documenting an remarkable urban landscape that few people ever see—Hong Kong’s 2,549 basketball courts captured from above. Starting in 2019, Bell equipped himself with Google Maps and a drone to methodically document every outdoor court throughout the city’s densely packed neighbourhoods, housing estates, and rooftops. Over the course of his careful project, he amassed more than 40,000 images, often capturing more than 100 courts in a single day. The final collection reveals that Hong Kong has more outdoor basketball courts than any other city in the world, exceeding even major American metropolises like New York and Los Angeles. What began as casual curiosity during a 2017 visit has transformed into a thorough visual documentation of how this vibrant city integrates sport and recreation into its distinctive urban character.

The Adventure Commences: From Intrigue to Preoccupation

Austin Bell’s interest with Hong Kong’s basketball courts came about almost by chance during his debut visit to the city in 2017. While visiting the neighbourhood of Choi Hung in Kowloon, he stumbled upon a rooftop court at the estate known for its vivid multicoloured housing blocks. The court itself caught his attention, not necessarily as a basketball venue, but as a compelling visual component that seemed to capture the vivid hues of its surroundings. “I thought it was a really interesting location, not so much because it was a basketball court, but just visually,” Bell notes. As he wandered through other neighbourhoods, he began spotting additional courts tucked between housing estates and integrated into the urban landscape, each one echoing the bright colours and architectural character of their surrounding communities.

What started as informal photo work out of fascination evolved into an total mission. As Bell traversed Hong Kong’s areas in greater depth, he realised the vast number of courts hidden throughout the city—spaces most residents rarely registered. By 2019, he had committed to recording each and every one. “The insane became mundane,” Bell explains. “I had become an obsessive collector, incapable of stopping until I found every court in the city.” His fixation was fueled by multiple motivations: to reveal an overlooked view of Hong Kong and to comprehensively examine a city that had enchanted him. What had originated from passing interest had evolved into a systematic, disciplined pursuit that would dominate the next several years of his life.

• Located courts tucked away between housing estates and rooftops
• Started casual photography out of visual curiosity
• Transformed from casual interest into obsessive documentation project
• Driven by desire to reveal unseen city perspective

Understanding Hong Kong’s Remarkable Judicial Density

When Austin Bell began to document Hong Kong’s basketball courts in 2019, he expected a significant undertaking. What he uncovered, however, went beyond even his most hopeful estimates. Using Google Maps as his initial research tool and drone footage to capture overhead views, Bell methodically worked through the city’s varied terrain. Over 140 days of intensive shooting, he compiled more than 40,000 photographs. The sheer volume of courts emerged progressively as he travelled through neighbourhood after neighbourhood, each area producing dozens of previously uncatalogued venues. Bell often worked from sunrise to sunset, logging months of entire days in the field, routinely capturing over 100 courts in a individual day.

The concluding total proved remarkable: 2,549 basketball courts scattered across Hong Kong’s city areas. This impressive quantity positioned the city uniquely on the global stage. Bell’s study showed that Hong Kong surpassed the outdoor court density of any other location globally—even large metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles. Wet courts in the North District overlapped in dense clusters, while Kowloon’s housing estates featured courts positioned under walkways and overpasses. Some courts were located on parking decks in private residential buildings, some on beaches of outer islands. This unprecedented concentration of recreational spaces demonstrated Hong Kong’s distinctive approach to urban planning and community design.

Why Hong Kong Remains Unique

Hong Kong’s distinctive court density results from its particular urban conditions and geographical restrictions. The city’s towering population density and constrained territory demanded creative integration of leisure spaces into residential developments. Rather than isolating athletic facilities to designated locations, planners integrated courts throughout communities—on building tops, beneath overpasses, inside residential complexes, and in creative venues. This strategy converted courts from separate recreational spaces into integral components of daily community life. Schools, private residences, and public housing estates all supplied courts that served both residents and visitors. The result was an natural interconnection of courts that reflected Hong Kong’s particular solution to balancing recreation with dense urban living.

The visual appearance of these courts set apart Hong Kong’s collection. Many courts absorbed the architectural and colour palettes of their surrounding environments, producing striking visual harmonies. The famous Choi Hung estate’s rainbow-coloured housing blocks were echoed in bold courtyard aesthetics, while others displayed faded pink schemes complementing neighbouring buildings. Some courts received recent renovations, like the celebrated beach court on Cheung Chau island, while others stayed deteriorated and abandoned, reflecting the city’s evolving landscape. This diversity of conditions and aesthetics made each court a unique record of Hong Kong’s complex architectural heritage and design philosophy.

• Hong Kong surpasses court density of New York and Los Angeles combined
• Courts incorporated into housing estates, schools, and private developments
• Creative placement beneath overpasses, on rooftops, and parking facilities
• Visual designs mirror surrounding architectural colours and community character
• Courts function as integral components of everyday community life

Visual Storytelling By Way Of City Exploration

Austin Bell’s work transcends traditional sports photography, transforming basketball courts into a lens through which to explore Hong Kong’s urban fabric. By photographing courts from overhead using drone photography, Bell exposes perspectives rarely seen by ground-level observers. The aerial vantage point illustrates the complex connection between sports facilities and their neighboring spaces, highlighting how courts sit embedded in the city’s compact urban design. His 140-day intensive documentation period and compilation exceeding 40,000 photos constitute a comprehensive visual archive of Hong Kong’s sporting landscape, capturing not merely functional spaces but social symbols integrated into neighbourhoods.

The project’s scope necessitated detailed organization and obsessive dedication. Bell routinely shot upwards of 100 courts daily, systematically traversing Hong Kong’s varied neighborhoods to ensure complete documentation. This systematic method required him to push himself to the edge, meticulously charting routes through congested urban landscapes and contending with the city’s difficult terrain. The final body of work showcases basketball courts as central subjects in Hong Kong’s city narrative, each image uncovering layers of design, community integration, and structural uniqueness that might otherwise escape attention to passersby.

The Artistic Approach Behind the Initiative

Bell’s artistic vision arose from a unexpected discovery during his 2017 visit to Hong Kong. The remarkable rooftop basketball court at the Choi Hung estate captivated him—not mainly as a basketball venue, but as a visually striking city landmark harmonizing with its vividly coloured surroundings. This early inspiration transformed into a wider interest about courts dispersed across other neighbourhoods, often echoing the bright colours of surrounding apartment blocks. What commenced as informal photo documentation soon developed into an comprehensive endeavour to record all courts methodically, driven by the desire to expose Hong Kong’s overlooked dimensions.

Bell articulates his dual motivations with remarkable precision: to showcase an unprecedented perspective of Hong Kong while concurrently examining the location that engaged him intensely. His fixation developed into what he terms exhaustive impulse—an unwillingness to cease until each court had been located and catalogued. This intellectual methodology raised the endeavor beyond simple cataloguing, converting it to a meditation on urban design, public areas, and the concealed elegance contained in commonplace facilities. The final product showcases Hong Kong’s particular spatial strategies and architectural character.

• Aerial photography reveals previously unseen perspectives of city environments
• Initial inspiration stemmed from the Choi Hung estate’s colorful design cohesion
• Meticulous recording evolved into thorough city survey undertaking
• Visual narrative celebrates Hong Kong’s design approach and social cohesion

Winning Courts Throughout Every District

Austin Bell’s systematic approach to cataloging Hong Kong’s basketball courts necessitated meticulous planning and resolute dedication across all 18 districts. Operating from dawn to dusk over 140 days, Bell regularly photographed more than 100 courts daily, driving himself to test the limits of his endurance and planning capabilities. His methodology integrated Google Maps research with drone reconnaissance, allowing him to identify courts concealed in tightly packed neighborhoods and remote neighbourhoods alike. The high concentration of courts necessitated strategic path optimization to guarantee comprehensive coverage, turning the project into a logistical challenge as much as an artistic endeavour.

The geographic range of Bell’s work revealed Hong Kong’s remarkable concentration of basketball infrastructure—surpassing that of any other city worldwide, including major US metropolises like New York and Los Angeles. Courts appeared in surprising places: nestled under bridge overpasses, mounted on parking decks, integrated into housing estates, and positioned on rooftops overlooking sprawling neighbourhoods. Each district exhibited distinct characteristics, from the vibrant neighborhoods of Kowloon to the remote island venues of the outlying territories. This detailed spatial analysis repositioned basketball courts into symbols of city character, illustrating how Hong Kong makes the most of recreational space within its demanding geography.

Rooftops Through to Beaches

Hong Kong’s basketball courts occupy remarkably diverse locations that defy conventional expectations of leisure amenities. Bell’s aerial perspective revealed courts situated atop rooftops commanding views of densely packed housing estates, positioned over parking structures, and embedded within the metropolitan environment. The iconic Choi Hung estate court, which triggered Bell’s original interest, exemplifies how courts serve as visual anchors within their built contexts. Meanwhile, the famed beach court on Cheung Chau island demonstrates how Hong Kong extends sports access to even its most far-flung territories, each location featuring distinct difficulties and aesthetic qualities.

The variety of court sites underscores Hong Kong’s creative strategy for city development and public leisure. From courts situated below bridge overpasses to those positioned atop private residential complexes, each installation reflects carefully considered solutions within a densely packed city. Bell’s documentation captures these courts at multiple phases—some freshly upgraded like Cheung Chau’s beach venue, others displaying wear. This historical perspective adds storytelling richness to the project, illustrating how Hong Kong keeps evolving and preserves its public sports amenities while protecting the distinctive appearance that makes each court singular and important to its local community.

Long-term Significance and Outcomes of the Shooting Hoops Initiative

Austin Bell’s Shooting Hoops project has substantially changed how Hong Kong’s urban landscape is viewed and recorded. By systematically cataloguing all 2,549 basketball courts across the city, Bell developed an unparalleled photographic collection that celebrates the often-overlooked recreational infrastructure integrated throughout Hong Kong’s dense urban fabric. The project’s expansive reach—requiring 140 days of concentrated photography and over 40,000 photographs—demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to documenting every corner of the city. His work has achieved worldwide acclaim, published through Blue Lotus books, creating a fresh benchmark for photographic documentation that elevates mundane urban features into subjects worthy of serious artistic consideration and cultural analysis.

Beyond its creative significance, the Shooting Hoops project functions as a powerful testament to Hong Kong’s distinctive metropolitan identity and creative space-planning approaches. By demonstrating that Hong Kong contains more outdoor basketball courts than any major city worldwide, including New York and Los Angeles, Bell’s documentation challenges traditional beliefs about metropolitan development and leisure facility design. The project has sparked broader conversations about how urban areas incorporate community spaces within spatial limitations and demonstrates the value of preserving visual records of urban environments. Bell’s obsessive completism and methodical approach have created a lasting resource that captures a specific moment in Hong Kong’s development, offering future generations with invaluable insight into contemporary urban design and public facilities.

• Comprehensive photographic collection cataloguing all 2,549 basketball courts across Hong Kong
• Created new standards for photographic documentation highlighting underappreciated urban infrastructure
• Revealed Hong Kong’s courts outpace those of leading international cities like New York
• Produced enduring documentation of city planning and community recreational spaces