102 Examples Of ‘Urban Hell’ That Don’t Look Real But Sadly Are (New Pics)
Some cities and the architecture there can make your jaw drop because of how impressive they look. But some others… Well, let's just say your jaw might drop because of a reaction far less positive than that. In the latter, you might be met with dirty streets, overcrowded neighborhoods, and buildings that resemble the set of an apocalypse-based movie more than it does someone’s home.
Today, we’re not focusing on beautiful cities, so if you’re a fan of incredible architecture, you might want to browse this list of architectural marvels instead. But if you’re curious to see what urban hell looks like, you’re in the right place, as we have quite a few pictures of it on today’s list. Scroll down to find them below.
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60% Of The Things Posted Here Are Far From Being Ugly Or Urban Hell. It Seems That The Notion Of Urban Hell Varies Greatly Between People. This Is Urban Hell
From West Berlin, Looking East Over The Berlin Wall's "Death Strip" In 1986
I remember the day the wall came down. I was only 9yo but I was starting to pay attention to the world. That was the biggest thing since Challenger.
Beautiful Bangladesh
I would love to understand the why of this - how come this happens, not just in Bangladesh, but plenty of other places in SE Asia. Does anyone know? If nothing else, that rubbish could be burnt to generate heat and then electricity. "Where there's muck, there's brass" and all that.
‘Urban hell’ can come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it’s buildings that are simply unpleasant to look at, whether old or new. It can also be something that’s surprisingly inconvenient or serves no purpose at all. Oftentimes, it’s also something that requires destroying bits and pieces of nature, which is, in most cases, simply not worth it.
While ‘Urban hell’ means different things to different people, it usually evokes the same sentiment—a feeling that might make you want to turn your gaze away.
Postman On His Kowloon Route, 1989
Kowloon Walled City was a fascinating place. A population of 1.3MILLION per square Kilometer. It was a lawless slum that must have been absolute hell to live in. the whole place was established as part of the same treaty that Established Hong Kong as a British protectorate. Short version, Kowloon was a weird loophole that neither side owned but it became a major conduit to move goods in and out of Communist China for about 50 years.
People Living Next To A Helicoidal Street In Chongqing
Since whether or not something is an eye sore or eye candy is a highly subjective matter, people’s opinions tend to clash. And they often do when it comes to all sorts of iconic—well-known, for better or worse—buildings in cities all over the world.
Take the Montparnasse Tower in Paris, France, for instance. While it is hated by many Parisians, in a piece for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Daniel Libeskind, a well-known architect, artist, professor, and set designer, stood in defense of said tower, not particularly because of its beauty, but because of the idea it represents.
“Parisians panicked when they saw it, and when they abandoned the tower they also abandoned the idea of a high-density sustainable city. Because they exiled all future high rises to some far neighborhood like La Défense, they were segregating growth,” Libeskind commented to T.
Jalousie In Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
I'm certainly not 'jalous' of those who live there
Outskirts Of Mexico City
Akihabara Is Like Is Like Website Without Adblock X2
Talking about the Montparnasse Tower, Libeskind continued to point out that, due to its shrinking capacity, people have no choice but to build good, high-rise buildings that are affordable. “Maybe Tour Montparnasse is not a work of genius, but it signified a notion of what the city of the future will have to be,” he noted.
As of January 2023, the French capital had just over 2.1 million residents. However, over the same year, it welcomed nearly 29 million visitors, which could make it feel pretty packed.
Apartment Blocks In Hong Kong
And the waiting lists for some of those apartments are mind-boggling.
Immensity Of Los Angeles
Monster Building, Hong Kong
If you’re interested in packed cities, Prof. Alasdair Rae of the University of Sheffield has carried out interesting research, delving deeper into the density of populations in countries all over Europe. He located the densest kilometer in each one of them and found that the most densely populated city in Europe is not Paris. It’s… you guessed it, Barcelona.
South Bronx, New York City (1980s). Genuine Smiles Despite All That’s Around Them
Norilsk, Russia
Hanoi, Vietnam
According to Rae’s study, the most densely populated kilometer in one of Spain’s main hubs is home to nearly 54,000 people. Second on the list, the French capital houses a little over 52,200 in its most densely populated one square kilometer.
Following Barcelona and Paris were Szczecin in Poland (nearly 33,000 people per sq. km), Brussels in Belgium (29,100 people), Athens in Greece (just over 28,800 people), and Stockholm in Sweden (with roughly 26,100 people).
Hyesan. North Korea
Concrete Flood Engulfs The Pyramids Of Giza
And most people still think that the pyramids are in the middle of the desert :-D
Guangzhou
When it comes to the city with the highest population density globally, Mogadishu in Somalia tops the list, according to 2023 data. There, it’s not only one particular kilometer that’s densely populated but the entire city houses roughly 33,200 residents per square kilometer.
The View When I Leave My Building On A Winter Morning, Downtown Shanghai
What always gets me about chinas infrastructure is - how do you get your furniture up there easily? What if you have stuff that won’t fit in the entry way? Do the crane it up?
Dubai City Of Artificiality
Apartments Under An Overpass In Nanming District, Guyana, China
It’s safe to assume that for some people, incredibly densely populated places are the ultimate definition of ‘urban hell’; there are enough pictures on this list to demonstrate why. But if you don’t want to look at such hell any longer, continue with something more attractive in our architecture category or browse these expectations vs. reality: architecture edition pictures for a good giggle.
A Tree Fighting For Its Life In Hong Kong
A House In Between Highways In Thailand
Weird. No, not the image itself. But the fact there's no comments. If this was located in Anywhere, USA, there' would already be a dozen "America bad" comments, like several of the pics above.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 151 Days Without Rain. Swallowed By Smoke Of Criminal Fires All Over Brazil
Buildings Built On Sand Dunes In Concon, Chile
Particularly terrifying given that the area is prone to earthquakes and sand loves to get all unstable when the ground gets shaky...
Chaos Of All Sorts In Cairo, Egypt
Mariupol
Juarez Roundabout
A Famous Bank In Pau, France
Kensington Philadelphia, Pa (United States Of America)
Chongqing China
Vorkuta Is A Coal-Mining Town In The Komi Republic, Russia
Cable Management In Bangladesh
The Highway Bridge That Blatantly Cuts Of The Whole Historic City Centre Of Genoa, Italy From The Sea
Yes. Quite the shame actually that Genoa is basically cut pff from the sea by the SS1.
La Canada Real Madrid. 3rd World Conditions, Even USA Worst Areas Doesn't Look Like This
Cañada, not Canada. It's La Cañada Real, Madrid. No relationship with the soccer team.
Couldn't They Just Plant A Tree?
Hong Kong The Concrete Jungle
You know when you watch a time travel movie where they come back from the Middle Ages and not much has changed in merry old England too much 😂 imagine the same movie premise but in China, pot time traveller would have a fit
Casino Billboard Lights Up The Night Sky In Manila Philippines
Cairo, 2006
Belchatow, Poland
Factories Loom Over A Graveyard In Louisiana's "Cancer Alley", An 85 Mile Stretch Of Polluted Towns
Cheboksary, Russia
View From A Classroom Of A College I Used To Go To. Moscow
In Cars We Trust
This is the USA. I don't know which particular city, but in a way that is irrelevant....because when Eisenhower put the highway system in this happened to many cities. For some reason it just didn't occur to those early highway planners that they could swerve around cities. So many communities were cut in half, creating defacto areas with less access to cultural assets like libraries, parks, government offices, etc...........To be clear, the highways were put in to facilitate the rapid movement of large scale military equipment and personnel. Making car travel easier was of secondary concern.
Bucharest, Romania
This Is In Changsha, Hunan, China
La Rinconada, Peru
Mogadishu Looks Straight From Fallout
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Ca. (Was Formerly A Vibrant Latino Community)
In 1949, the government of Los Angeles siezed hundreds of homes here by condemning them and declaring eminent domain, but not for a baseball stadium, but for a newer, government-controlled housing project. Pretty much everyone except the statist mayor hated the idea. After he was thrown out of office, nobody wanted to build the housing project that the neighborhood was destroyed in order to create. The stadium was built ten years later, after paying fair-market prices to buy out some additional homes.
Historical Building (Grave) From 1800s Demolished Today To Create A Highway
I read the original post. Apparently: "Egypt, Cairo (Shafi'i cemeteries in old Egypt to be precise), Halim Pasha Dome." Why? For crying out loud, why do this?
Most Definitely Been Posted Here Already But I've Always Beem Facinated By The Kowloon Walled City
How About A Fun Day At The Casino? Aberdeen, Scotland
Vancouver, Canada
Toronto is much the same. The encampments get cleared periodically, which does nothing but create an endless cycle of movement from park to street corner to parkette to ravine to vacant lot and back again. Our three levels of government are unable (or rather unwilling) to cooperate on funding effective supports for unhoused people.
Overpopulated Istanbul
New York City, 1982
Anti-Homeless Solution In Tokyo, Japan
How is this a solution to anything? If it's supposed to stop squatters, they'll find somewhere else. A case of "if it's not on my patch, I don't have to do anything about it".
I Lived On This Street 20 Years Ago, It Still Looks The Same
The Capital City Of Louisiana, Baton Rouge Nicknamed Cancer Alley. Residents Of This Area Have A 95% Greater Chance Of Developing Cancer Compared To The Average American
"Genex Tower" - Western Gates Of Belgrade, Serbia
Times Square Is Like Website Without Adblock
I Explored Various Abandoned Places On The Island Of Tenerife (Canaries), Spain (Oc)
Acapulco, Mexico, 2 Hurricanes And Several Floodings In Less Than A Year Has Left The City In A Deplorable State
The Apartment My Friend Used To Live In – Dhaka, Bangladesh
I don’t even want to know how and why caged balconies became mandatory. But upside, you could really let your big indoor parrot just chill indoor and outdoor without a worry 😂
My Lovely Country, Egypt!
Dombóvár, A Small City In Hungary Cut Down Its 100 Year Old Chestnut Trees
According to machine translation, this was done to install better drains. The residents are Not Happy. https://index.hu/belfold/2023/08/01/dombovar-fasor-kivagas-helyiek-tiltakozas-gesztenyefak-vizelvezetes/
Native Reserves In Canada
Kaliningrad, Russia
Königsberg (East Prussia) was very badly damaged during the Second World War before being annexed by the Russian Soviet Federative Republic and renamed Kaliningrad. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_K%C3%B6nigsberg_in_World_War_II and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_K%C3%B6nigsberg and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad#World_War_II
Gela, Sicily, Italy. The Amount Of Trash On This Otherwise Beautiful Island Really Surprised Me
Margate, England
Early Spring In Siberia Is Disgusting
Dhaka
Shibam: The Ancient Mud Skyscraper City In The Heart Of Nowhere -Yemen
Noida, India
Doha, Qatar
Perfect Image To Show Wealth Disparity. London, England
The low rise flats visible were intended as decent, affordable accomodation for ordinary working people. Things did not work out as intended, but what you see is an awful lot better than the "rookeries" with which London used to be plagued. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rookery_(slum)#London_rookeries
A Random Apartment In Singapore
Housing In Upper Manhattan, NYC
San Francisco, California, USA
Idiots blaming the liberals for a problem created by Republicans.
Egypt’s New Capital From The Sky
Anaheim Stadium (1977)
More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Stadium. California apparently has a great climate, if you're an orange (the fruit, that is, not the president elect).
Liverpool, UK
I don't know the street in question, but: Liverpool City Council has, every now and then, done the right thing with this sort of street and offered up the houses for sale a nominal price if you move in and renovate the property. The structure of such houses tends to be solid, but they need insulation, modern heating systems, modern everything added.
New York
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Cumberland, Scotland. Truly The UK's Most Horrible Place To Live
After a Google inspection, I'd say this is the nicest photo of the place.
The UK Town Described As So Rough And Tough "Even The Seagulls Have Flick Knives". Grimsby
A House In Saitama, Japan
Rapunzel's Tower, Palermo, Italy
Somewhere In Poland
Hmm - could be worse. There are trees around and about, and it looks like a nice idea: one apartment on each floor, nice views, good ventilation. Possibly also: inadequate insulation and protection against damp. But maybe the designers and builders did their jobs properly.
Novocherkassk, Russia
Coventry University (UK) Looks Like A Prison Block
Somewhere Along The Trans-Siberian Railway, 2010
Houston Wild
Queensbridge Houses, New York. The Largest Housing Projects In North America With 96 Buildings And 3142 Units Accommodating Over 7000 People
Living Under A Ramp. Tenerife. Spain
Kawaramachi Residential Building, Kawasaki, Japan - Designed By Sachio Otani In 1970
Place D'youville In Old Montreal, Canada
A Town Where I Live In Failed To Gentrify. Tokyo, Japan
There is nothing wrong with this. Buildings look fine, the canal is clean. I’m not sure how this is failing to gentrify, nor why that’s inherently a problem
Lithuania, Vilnius
This Apartment Building In Belgium
The plans got crumpled and the builders thought that was the way to build it
I’m A Pilot, This Is Inland Southern Florida From Above
This is not urban? It looks blissfully suburban to me, with tons of space and greenery.
Baltimore, Maryland (United States Of America)
Bucharest Centre
This is where I live, a little village called Studland, in the county of Dorset on England's south coast. studland-d...a6d623.jpg
Load More Replies...Housing 8 billion people requires these 8 billion to actively contribute in keeping their surroundings neat and clean. But as long as the world desires to buy cheap trash, made by people working 16 hours, 6 days a week, not much will change. And everybody wants unlimited electricity, but hates living next to a factory/plant.
This is where I live, a little village called Studland, in the county of Dorset on England's south coast. studland-d...a6d623.jpg
Load More Replies...Housing 8 billion people requires these 8 billion to actively contribute in keeping their surroundings neat and clean. But as long as the world desires to buy cheap trash, made by people working 16 hours, 6 days a week, not much will change. And everybody wants unlimited electricity, but hates living next to a factory/plant.