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“Truly The UK’s Most Horrible Place To Live”: 30 Pics Of Urban Hell From All Over The World (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, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with an architectural psychologist and professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dak Kopec, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions on architecture.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
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
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 12 months ago
They don't know anything different. To them it's home.
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Montanavanna 12 months ago
This is the outcome from centuries of displacing people from their lands so they no longer have access to them for subsistence and survival. Junk production that poisons the environment, imprisons people with slave wages, and ends up right back in the water. Or burned or buried in the earth. So that a few people can gain more wealth and power. We need a new way to be in the world. Everybody is suffering. All we are is what we are to them. A commodity and a customer rolled into one. No more!
keyboardtek 12 months ago
And people who live in places like this continue to bring children into that world! Why?
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 12 months ago
Because people at or below the poverty level barely have access to food & clean water, so it would stand to reason that they also might not have access to birth control or even medical care. Aside from that, there are cultures & religions that don't advocate the usage of birth control, and believe it or not there are still people out there that feel like marriage & children are a social requirement.
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RELATED:
#2
Beautiful Bangladesh
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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.
Zephyr 12 months ago
The air pollution where will it go? They don't have the resources to dispose waste safely why do you think they could burn it up without polluting the air for months
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Ge Po 12 months ago
Wonder how much of that trash actually originated in Europe. European trash is often shipped to Asian or African countries to be recycled, where it then instead ends up in a huge pile. When the pile gets too big or there is flooding or a typhoon, the trash ends up in rivers, floods into the sea, gets fished up by ocean-cleaning projects, gets transported to Asia or Africa and thus becomes part of The Circle Of Trash.
Hannah 12 months ago
My goodness. I feel very naive, I had no concept that Bangladesh was like this. I need to get more education.
Montanavanna 12 months ago
Hannah I have a book that will change your life and give you great perspective on this pervasive phenomena in our society. Ishmael by David Quinn. You will never see the world and our culture the same.
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Acey 12 months ago
Too busy trying to get food on the table to care about the environment
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Postman On His Kowloon Route, 1989
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 12 months ago
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.
‘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.
#4
South Bronx, New York City (1980s). Genuine Smiles Despite All That’s Around Them
Michael None 12 months ago
Because this picture (from the 80's) is the prime example of a country nearly as large as the whole of Europe. I bet you could find a place like this in every country in the world.
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#5
From West Berlin, Looking East Over The Berlin Wall's "Death Strip" In 1986
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 12 months ago
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.
General Anaesthesia 12 months ago (edited)
Depending on where you were, it was much bigger than the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The (western?) world is still feeling the effects of the Berlin wall coming down.
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Cuppa tea? 12 months ago
I was in DDR in August 1989 as a part of school exchange, we went to Berlin and on the way from train saw the Wall. Totally in awe. And then 3 months later it came down. Then watching Roger Waters performing in the dead zone.
Pferdchen 12 months ago
It's interesting that the Berlin Wall came down the same year that the world wide web was announced by CERN. The world was forever changed that year. I know the crazy changes the world has gone through have been a continual process. I was born in 1960, so I've witnessed a lot of it. But 1989 is the pivotal year I have pinned as the delineator between before and after.
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
I saw this in 1978 when my U.S. Navy ship went to Kiel, Germany. I was in a group that got a one day round trip to Berlin. I was so glad when this monstrosity came a-tumbling down. But I'm also glad there is a substantial piece of it as a reminder/memorial.
nm (he/him) 12 months ago
I was 37 yo when the gate opened. I would never imagine that this would happen while I was still alive.
talliloo 12 months ago
i clearly remember the day the wall came down. i had been invited to study in london and had all the plans made but then my son became ill. i was a single mom and my family supported this opportunity so they said to go ahead. but, i just couldn't leave my sick kid. i remember sitting in the college lounge watching it and thinking that if i had gone i knew where i would have been that day. a bittersweet memory but how could i leave knowing that as soon as i touched down in heathrow i probably would have found a return flight asap.
LeftEyedAsmodeus 12 months ago
Found the American that gives Americans a bad name.
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Talking about loss of nature due to architectural wonders–or atrocities—architectural psychologist Dak Kopec noted that nature should play a significant role in regards to buildings and construction. “Land should not be viewed only in terms of the developer's profit but in the mental and physical health and well-being of the people,” he said.
According to the expert, destroying nature because of construction might lead to loss of empathy. “When people stop seeing themselves in the cycle of life, they can start to distance themself from caring. This might be caring for a tree or flowers, animals, and our fellow human beings. We are part of nature, and we need this connection to help keep us balanced.”
#6
Apartment Blocks In Hong Kong
Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
And the waiting lists for some of those apartments are mind-boggling.
YakFactory 12 months ago
Nothing like a bit of individuality and space for a garden! Sarcasm, to be clear.
#7
Outskirts Of Mexico City
Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
Coming this far in the thread to see most pics aren't any of India but I don't know why people do like to degrade India for a theme like this
Stymied Egan 11 months ago
I was a teen when we visited Mexico city. We took a bus out to the pyramids. As soon as we left the city proper we passed acres of "houses". They were made with what ever was found. Cardboard, wood, metal, cloth, whatever they could get their hands on. We saw kids playing in muddy gross puddles. It was literally on the edge of what looked like a dump. It made such an impression on me. In the city we were accosted by beggars, mostly children, every time we stepped out of our hotel. I could see why after the bus trip. I couldn't wrap my middle class head around what I was seeing.
#8
Norilsk, Russia
alf martinez jaume 12 months ago
Right. It's consistently considered the most depressing city in the world, https://nypost.com/2022/06/12/inside-russias-norilsk-the-most-depressing-city-on-earth/
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Rebecca Ferguson 12 months ago
Looks like there's been some sort of end of civilisation event.
Neopet22 8 months ago
Don't generalize the whole country because of the actions of some.
Load More Replies...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.
#9
People Living Next To A Helicoidal Street In Chongqing
artisticINSURRECTION 11 months ago
What happens when a car breaks down going down this ramp? Toss it off the edge?
#10
Jalousie In Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
She who must not be named 12 months ago (edited)
I'm certainly not 'jalous' of those who live there
Alexia Howe 7 months ago
Honestly I would rather trek into the bush and go live on a mountain. The sheer press of humanity would make me crazy
Diolla 12 months ago
Don't think there is a functioning fire department over there.
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Akihabara Is Like Is Like Website Without Adblock X2
BrunoVI 12 months ago
LOL! Excellent caption. But it's colorful, clean, and I can't read a word of Japanese so I don't care what it says.
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 11 months ago
Now imagine it if everything you see is moving and talking, floor to sky advertising.
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Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
Bright and colourful. But there's too much going on for the eyes to look at.
Miracle Max 12 months ago
Except that it is primarily a commercial area first and not really a place to live.
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.
#12
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 151 Days Without Rain. Swallowed By Smoke Of Criminal Fires All Over Brazil
Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
This makes me think of all the people with breathing difficulties
Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
"criminal fires" as in corps burning rainforest illegally? Horrifying.
Kevin Hickey 12 months ago
When I was there, I was told that they're not supposed to "slash and burn" the sugar cane, but they do anyway because it's cheaper than plowing it all up.
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Hanoi, Vietnam
Iampenny 12 months ago
As crazy as it may sound, traffic actually works very well there. There's a lot of it, but the locals make it work and have a system. Spent hours sitting in a rooftop restaurant, amazed at the flow of traffic.
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Foxglove🇮🇪 12 months ago
I loved Hanoi. When we were there in 2000 though cars were still rare - small motorbikes were gradually replacing bicycles. We took several motorbike taxis. It was comm6to see whole families on a single motorbike, or huge loads on a bicycle. Traffic never stopped - to cross the road, you just step out and keep going - drivers would go around you. If you stop you cause confusion because drivers don't know what you're going to do! The increase in cars just blocks things up, I can't imagine it's such a nice place to spend time now.
Debby Keir 11 months ago
It needs traffic lights or a roundabout. It'll still take time to get through, but at least there will be some progress.
#14
Immensity Of Los Angeles
Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
I never really understood the immensity of it until I had to fly in for a transfer. I started seeing city outskirts 45 minutes before we were supposed to land, and I figured we'd just made excellent time. Nope. It's really large enough for a plane to fly over LA for 20+ minutes at full speed before slowing down to prepare to taxi. A plane flying at full speed will cross over half my STATE in 20 minutes...
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
On my last trip to California by road, I came over the pass into San Bernardino, and for the next 100 miles it was THIS.
keyboardtek 12 months ago
I am so glad we retired to a small town of only 16,000 people and have minimal traffic to deal with.
Boo 12 months ago
Nope, not me. So, not "everyone". There is a whole world out there to recreate. What I did was to make my own city.
Load More Replies...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.
#15
Hyesan. North Korea
#16
Guangzhou
keyboardtek 12 months ago
WE adopted our daughter from China and in that city. We were amazed at all the unfinished high rise buildings that were just rotting away.
Stymied Egan 11 months ago
When we were there we were in a very nice part of the city. We saw high rises going up all over the country as we traveled. The giant tall buildings were using cement, it was made in little mixers like we'd use for a little project here. They would make scaffolding out of bamboo. Drag the mixers up and hand shovel the walls. I am not into construction, but I was told by a welder on the bridges in FL. that they had done some cold pours building the bridges. That means they ran out of cement to finish a job and would have to wait for more to arrive. The earlier pour would have had to to partially set. This was illegal I believe or at least not up to code. It makes me wonder about the safety of those buildings in China.
#17
Apartments Under An Overpass In Nanming District, Guyana, China
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
My brain read "Guiyang" - must've seen it before.
Load More Replies... My O My 12 months ago
I guess you get used to the vibrations. Could be calming
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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).
#18
A Tree Fighting For Its Life In Hong Kong
#19
Monster Building, Hong Kong
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 12 months ago
Think of all the blocked sewerage pipes that would happen regularly :(
#20
Dubai City Of Artificiality
keyboardtek 12 months ago
I don't understand the tourist appeal for cities with massive amounts of concrete and tall buildings.
Ece Cenker 12 months ago
The same appeal that Disneyland has. Story, consumerism, escapism.
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Scott McLeod 12 months ago
hell on earth. Why would any sane person want to go to this hell hole
Campy 12 months ago
The same people who like Vegas, but with more money. Stupid people, plastic people who live plastic lives.
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Janissary35680 12 months ago
You wouldn't want to even if you could. The average ambient daytime temperature in Dubai is around 34.4°C (94°F), with highs reaching up to 40.2°C (104.3°F) during the hottest months from June to August. And those are just the averages.
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Campy 12 months ago
There's a socio-economic hierarchy to tacky resorts- Branson, Vegas, Dubai. Basically all the same type of people, just with more zeros on their bank balance.
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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.
According to Prof. Kopec, overcrowding is a big problem. “People need space, and when areas are too dense, people can start to feel overcrowded and over-stimulated, which often translates to not caring for fellow people or the environment itself.”
#21
Concrete Flood Engulfs The Pyramids Of Giza
Mark Howell 12 months ago
I work with a guy who went to Cairo for work. He said the best view of the pyramids is from an air-con restaurant just across from them
Cuppa tea? 12 months ago
I mean if they would knock them down, they could built more houses in that empty lot.
artisticINSURRECTION 11 months ago
I recall traveling to Cairo, and seeing the pyramids. You could literally throw a baseball from the Sphinx and Pizza Hut and various tourist shops. But as long as that tourist stuff was behind you, it was easy to get a photo that looked like everything was far out in the desert!
Foxglove🇮🇪 12 months ago
Last time I was there 20-something years ago there was still a bit of space between the city and the plateau. Sad to see these timeless monuments coming so close to being swallowed up.
Hugo 1 month ago
As one who had to ride some distance on a donkey in 1955, this horrifies me.
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The View When I Leave My Building On A Winter Morning, Downtown Shanghai
PeepPeep the duck 12 months ago
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?
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 12 months ago
I don't think any apartments are big enough for anything other than simple self assembly stuff.
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Neopet22 8 months ago
I feel like this building doesn't look luxurious enough to have underground parking but who knows
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#23
Biryulyovo Zapadnoe District, Moscow
casa fangio 12 months ago
One man on a lonely platform One case sitting by his side Two eyes staring cold and silent Shows fear as he turns to hide Ah, ah, we fade to grey
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Hannah 12 months ago
The more I see of these photos, the more I appreciate what I have and where I live. I know those are material things - people can find love and happiness anywhere, but knowing how privileged I am/must seem to people who accept this as normal and okay, I really do find it quite depressing.
Stymied Egan 11 months ago
I wouldn't want to be so close to those stacks, they look like nuclear power plants.
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.
#24
Mariupol
Verena 12 months ago
People, buy glasses. Or pay attention. Yoz seriously overlook all these burnt out and damaged buildings?
BrunoVI 12 months ago
Most of the apartment buildings in this photo are visibly burnt out.
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#25
Chaos Of All Sorts In Cairo, Egypt
cugel. 12 months ago
Everyone's driving on the wrong side of the road, that's ya problem right there
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 11 months ago
I lived in Cairo and Alexandria, they're both very populated but they have a great way of navigating through crowds and traffic. It looks like madness but the people somehow make it work. It's a wonderful place to be.
#26
Buildings Built On Sand Dunes In Concon, Chile
Wood Carver 12 months ago
Particularly terrifying given that the area is prone to earthquakes and sand loves to get all unstable when the ground gets shaky...
Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
Who, in their right frame of mind, would decide to build something on a friggin sand dune????
M O'Connell 12 months ago
Large buildings tend to be built atop friction piles when bedrock is not nearby. If the piles are properly engineered for the substrate, they can be just as sturdy as bedrock.
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BrunoVI 12 months ago
As long as they don't collapse, they look like they'd be pretty f*****g awesome. You guys have a wierd definition of Hell. (My guess thst that they're built on enormous pilons reaching down hundreds of feet to stable Earth.)
Ricardo 12 months ago
Well...The first two buildings in the photo collapsed and had to be evacuated...
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#27
A House In Between Highways In Thailand
Carl Roberts 12 months ago
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.
Angie May 12 months ago
BP has a HUGE anti-US bias, I'm shocked there aren't any as well.
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Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
I really hope this is one of those cases of "refused to sell and forced the company to build around them".
Carole G. 12 months ago (edited)
No eminent domain in Thailand? In the US one would be forced to sell, at fair market value, to the city or county.
Jill 12 months ago
"Fair market value" aka foreclosure or repossession and sold cheap to a developer.
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#28
A Famous Bank In Pau, France
Janissary35680 12 months ago
Demolition (dismantling? disassembly?) would improve it even more.
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#29
The Before And After Of San Luis Potosi, Mexico
#30
Kensington Philadelphia, Pa (United States Of America)
Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
Kensington is the center of the xylazine epidemic... this is a case where the picture shows an area much better than it currently is.
Chich 12 months ago
back in 1976 we were sent to the US to take part in their independence celebrations. One of the fellows with us had recently emigrated from Pakistan IIRC. Anyway, we were on a bus going to the event and passed through areas like this. He couldn't believe it. Thought all the stories about the 'rich' USA were lies.
#31
Chongqing China
ZuriLovesYou 12 months ago
I don't know. It's a bit claustrophobic to me.
Load More Replies... YakFactory 12 months ago
Does the white building in the middle of the view have a bulge in the wall?
MegDragon 12 months ago
It’s the camera lens. If you look top left you can see that building looks curved too.
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#32
Vorkuta Is A Coal-Mining Town In The Komi Republic, Russia
Bart 12 months ago
My guess that automatisation has halved the needed workers and since it's probably the only place to work in the area, people moved out. That why only the closest buildings are still functional
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Carl Roberts 12 months ago
This is misleading. Vorkuta is a city of 50,000 people. The bottom photo shows one of the mostly abandoned mining villages on the outskirts of the city. Also, from Wikipedia: "Vorkuta is the fourth largest city north of the Arctic Circle and the easternmost town in Europe. It is also the coldest city in all of Europe"
Robert Beveridge 12 months ago
Also the site of the recording of one of the most horrifying metal albums ever. https://youtu.be/bAZ92PTc__0?si=xdtZ5VwihMstaTek
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
Vorkuta was a major center of the Soviet GULAG system. When that was cut back, then non-prisoners were brought in, but they found it inhospitable.
#33
Cable Management In Bangladesh
Janissary35680 12 months ago
"Do not disturb". It works. Until it doesn't.🤔
Load More Replies... Elisabeth Chai 12 months ago
At least 20 houses could be wired with the excess coils. What a waste 🥴
#34
The Highway Bridge That Blatantly Cuts Of The Whole Historic City Centre Of Genoa, Italy From The Sea
#35
La Canada Real Madrid. 3rd World Conditions, Even USA Worst Areas Doesn't Look Like This
Nelson Álvarez Sáez 12 months ago (edited)
Cañada, not Canada. It's La Cañada Real, Madrid. No relationship with the soccer team.
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
This really is in Spain. I had no idea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%C3%B1ada_Real
Pittsburgh rare 12 months ago
Tourists don't really know how many clusters of misery there are here. 1/3 of the population is in risk of poverty.
Load More Replies... #36
Couldn't They Just Plant A Tree?
Pittsburgh rare 12 months ago
And the shape of the tree they cut out is currently planted on another street because lord knows actual trees are expensive s/
Ece Cenker 12 months ago
If this piece of art has made you ask the question "Couldn't They Just Plant A Tree?" then it has done its job by attracting your attention to the lack of trees in the neighborhood.
#37
Hong Kong The Concrete Jungle
PeepPeep the duck 12 months ago
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
#38
Casino Billboard Lights Up The Night Sky In Manila Philippines
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 12 months ago
I would hate this. So glad we have ordinances limiting light pollution here.
#40
Belchatow, Poland
#41
Factories Loom Over A Graveyard In Louisiana's "Cancer Alley", An 85 Mile Stretch Of Polluted Towns
#42
Cheboksary, Russia
keyboardtek 12 months ago
Is this where the Russian counterpart to the Colossus computer is located?
#43
View From A Classroom Of A College I Used To Go To. Moscow
Black Cat 12 months ago
That's hardly inspiring for a school. Or maybe it would make you work harder so you can get the hell out .
Slapdash1 12 months ago
It's russia dude. They don't care. The entire country is a sh!thole and their only goal is to make everybody miserable. Or dead.
Load More Replies... #44
In Cars We Trust
Lyone Fein 12 months ago
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.
Wingsofwrath 12 months ago
Oh, this was very much by (racist) design. You see, the neighbourhood they made the interstate through was inhabited by Black working class people and the whole point was to destroy it while enhancing the flow of white commutes and tax dollars to the suburbs. And this was done all over the country.
Load More Replies... Robert Trebor 12 months ago
The original plan was for the highways to go around the cities. Then the state/city would build roads leading in. Interstate 10, e.g. would've gone south of San Antonio, and north of Houston. Then feeder roads would be built. But, the city governments wanted the roads to come in so the Federal government would pay 90% of the cost of their access freeways.
keyboardtek 12 months ago
In Buffalo a major highway was built right through the middle of the black neighborhood. No concern for the people at all. It was just built so white suburban people could get downtown faster.
Who cares what I think, but... 12 months ago
Pretty sure it's Detroit (I-75)
Load More Replies... #45
Bucharest, Romania
Lyone Fein 12 months ago
Nuclear cannot be honestly called clean or safe until we find a way to neutralize the radioactive waste that it produces. Burying it and leaving it for later generations to deal with sounds like the kind of behavior that got us into this whole crisis to start with.
Load More Replies... PeepPeep the duck 12 months ago (edited)
Just reminds me of the Simpsons, just needs a lard lad mascot
#46
This Is In Changsha, Hunan, China
#48
Mogadishu Looks Straight From Fallout
General Anaesthesia 12 months ago (edited)
"Do not travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, piracy, and lack of availability of routine consular services. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as kidnapping and murder, is common throughout Somalia. Illegal roadblocks are widespread." - travel.state.gov Think "Black Hawk Down" 1993 (movie - 2001). Warlords still around from time to time, too.
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Upstaged75 12 months ago
Are you not familiar with the country of Somalia? The whole place is Hell.
Load More Replies... #49
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Ca. (Was Formerly A Vibrant Latino Community)
BrunoVI 12 months ago
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.
Nizumi 12 months ago
I'm continually appalled by these massive parking lots. Is it really that difficult to plant a couple of trees in each section? Solar panels that could serve as shade for the cars while collecting energy? Multilevel parking to reduce the spread? Geez - a two level parking system could have cut this area by half and you could incorporate green rooves. So many lost opportunities with these spaces.
SAF saf 12 months ago
"...Was Formerly A Vibrant Latino Community" lol, well it still kinda' is folks.
Pandemonium 12 months ago
Greater LA, really all of California certainly can be considered a Vibrant Latino Community, but the Chavez Ravine community that was razed so the stadium could be raised is probably what the headline is referring to. 1950s.
Load More Replies... #50
Historical Building (Grave) From 1800s Demolished Today To Create A Highway
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago (edited)
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?
Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
The amount of diminishing human intelligence is really surprising given that we are the smartest lot on this planet and times are evolving. What a shame!
#51
Most Definitely Been Posted Here Already But I've Always Beem Facinated By The Kowloon Walled City
#52
How About A Fun Day At The Casino? Aberdeen, Scotland
Scott McLeod 12 months ago
yippe my home town get mentioned. But to be honest Aberdeen does have some fantastic buildings and they do care about its heritage.
#53
Vancouver, Canada
Elladine DesIsles 12 months ago
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.
keyboardtek 12 months ago
Unfortunately most capitalist countries lack the will to solve the homeless problem. Primarily because there is no profit in it.
Load More Replies... Pittsburgh rare 12 months ago
And it'll get worse if governments don't do anything about the housing crisis around the world, you morons 😡
#54
Overpopulated Istanbul
#55
New York City, 1982
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
There are some amazing wind effects from these tall buildings. I've been blown along the sidewalk.
#56
Anti-Homeless Solution In Tokyo, Japan
YakFactory 12 months ago
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".
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 12 months ago
Here in the USA the "solution" is "I see nothing, I know nothing" in most cities.
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#57
I Lived On This Street 20 Years Ago, It Still Looks The Same
#58
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
#59
"Genex Tower" - Western Gates Of Belgrade, Serbia
#60
Times Square Is Like Website Without Adblock
- 12 months ago
A guilty pleasure, seen once. I went at night, took pictures of the bright lights.
Load More Replies... aubergine10003 12 months ago
And yet it's nowhere near as bad as some places in Asia (Tokyo for example)
#62
The Apartment My Friend Used To Live In – Dhaka, Bangladesh
PeepPeep the duck 12 months ago
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 😂
#64
Dombóvár, A Small City In Hungary Cut Down Its 100 Year Old Chestnut Trees
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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/
#65
Native Reserves In Canada
BrunoVI 12 months ago
Most of these don't fit the definition of urban hell because they're not hell. This isn't even urban. So, a house was boarded up because it was abandoned. Big fat hairy deal. If it's Hell, I'm sure it's because of the temperature.
Katherine Forest 12 months ago
It's the fact that it is a Indigenous reservation. We treated Indigenous people like hell and we do to this day.
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#66
Kaliningrad, Russia
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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
Wingsofwrath 12 months ago
Well, if the point is to show what being utterly destroyed by war and then annexed by the Soviet Union does to a city, then sure...
Robert Trebor 12 months ago
Soviet Russia kept it not to be restored as a tourist center like Riga, but as a naval base and military fortress, a window on the Baltic.
#67
Gela, Sicily, Italy. The Amount Of Trash On This Otherwise Beautiful Island Really Surprised Me
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 12 months ago
It seems to be a mindset. When people do it, other just follow suit because it's easier. They just keep adding to a pile of rubbish started by trashy people.
Load More Replies... Lady Lestrange 12 months ago
There's trash on mt. everest, in the space as well, so it can be anywhere and it doesn't surprise me
#68
Margate, England
Janissary35680 12 months ago
"Anti-social drinking will not be tolerated" with a picture of someone down and still chugging. I'm not sure what the message is here. 🤔
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
The eyesore is Arlington House. Margate's run down but on the up (ish). Arlington House is a bit of a problem - it's ugly, but apparently a popular place to live if you don't mind the heating bills... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_House,_Margate.
#69
Early Spring In Siberia Is Disgusting
#70
Acapulco, Mexico, 2 Hurricanes And Several Floodings In Less Than A Year Has Left The City In A Deplorable State
#72
Shibam: The Ancient Mud Skyscraper City In The Heart Of Nowhere -Yemen
#73
Noida, India
#74
Doha, Qatar
#75
Perfect Image To Show Wealth Disparity. London, England
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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
#76
A Random Apartment In Singapore
Diolla 12 months ago
Person? There might be 10 families living in this one building.
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 12 months ago
When I see this kind of thing, I just wonder why they don't install central air.
Janissary35680 12 months ago (edited)
In many countries, apartments (flats) like these are individually owned so there are no "centrally" provided services unless they're municipal.
Load More Replies... #77
Housing In Upper Manhattan, NYC
M O'Connell 12 months ago
These buildings have an interesting story. They are all constructed in the same manner, but the stock market crash of 1929 left the developer without enough funds to complete the brick 'skirts' around the steel support structure that the other buildings have, so they were just left open. These buildings are not of masonry construction, and simply have a brick veneer over a steel skeleton.
Load More Replies... #78
San Francisco, California, USA
Giuseppe Palmisano 12 months ago
Idiots blaming the liberals for a problem created by Republicans.
Carl Roberts 12 months ago (edited)
What an utterly ignorant comment. I lived in SF most of my life. There were only a relatively small handful of homeless, primarily concentrated a few blocks south of downtown (aka South of Market), the entire area was gentrified under Gavin Newsom's leadership, forcing the homeless to spread to other areas. The homeless population has increased exponentially during Gavin Newsom, Ed Lee and London Breed's tenures as mayor. Oh, and FYI.....the last Republican mayor of San Francisco was George Christopher, whose term ended in 1964. The city has been completely controlled by Democrats for the last 60 years,
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Stannous Flouride 12 months ago
No, thank Ronald Reagan who, as governor of California, closed all of the state's out-patient mental health facilities, promising "the private sector will handle it." News flash: there didn't.
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#79
Egypt’s New Capital From The Sky
Tiger 12 months ago
Egypt is building a new city, known as the "New Administrative Capital," 45km east of Cairo.
Load More Replies... Robert Trebor 12 months ago
Take a look at Google Maps and see that there are several of these around Cairo.
#80
Anaheim Stadium (1977)
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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).
#81
Liverpool, UK
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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.
#82
Almaty, Kazakhstan
#83
Cumberland, Scotland. Truly The UK's Most Horrible Place To Live
Pittsburgh rare 12 months ago
After a Google inspection, I'd say this is the nicest photo of the place.
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
That's Cumbernauld, and it's not as bad as all that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbernauld#New_Town_history. Cumberland is a "historic county" of England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland
#84
The UK Town Described As So Rough And Tough "Even The Seagulls Have Flick Knives". Grimsby
#85
A House In Saitama, Japan
#86
Rapunzel's Tower, Palermo, Italy
Hugo 1 month ago
No, Rapunzel means lamb's lettuce. The girl in the fairy tale was so named because her mother craved some while pregnant and stole it from the witch's garden.
Load More Replies... #87
Somewhere In Poland
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
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.
Katherine Forest 12 months ago
Therre are a lot of bots on this post who seem to support our total destruction of the landscape. Why defend the mediocre when we could do so much better for society, people and the environment?
Load More Replies... #88
Novocherkassk, Russia
itsmykayak 12 months ago
Yes. Looks like a still photo from The Walking Dead
Load More Replies... #89
New York
BrunoVI 12 months ago
Mostly New Jersey, actually. The tallest buildings are on the island of Manhattan, and everything below the lowermost eater is Brooklyn. The rest is New Jersey.
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
NYC has the excuse of being a moderately well managed proper big city that's grown naturally over time. Better to cram that many people into a small area than spread them out over ten times the space, ruining far more countryside.Me? I'd give it more trees, but I come from London originally.
keyboardtek 12 months ago
So tell me again what the appeal is? Is access to Broadway shows and a few good museums worth the price of living in such concrete chaos?
The Darkest Timeline 12 months ago
Lots of people seem to think so even if you don’t
Load More Replies... #90
Coventry University (UK) Looks Like A Prison Block
#91
Somewhere Along The Trans-Siberian Railway, 2010
#93
Queensbridge Houses, New York. The Largest Housing Projects In North America With 96 Buildings And 3142 Units Accommodating Over 7000 People
Carl Roberts 12 months ago (edited)
Maybe if they didn't use that particular picture....Here ya go..... Queensbr_N...0e6c42.jpg 
#94
Living Under A Ramp. Tenerife. Spain
FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 12 months ago
They may not have to worry about the maintenance costs of the roof, but they may need to worry about routine maintenance and inspections being done properly.
Load More Replies... #95
Kawaramachi Residential Building, Kawasaki, Japan - Designed By Sachio Otani In 1970
Janissary35680 12 months ago
It's not bad, certainly not "Hell". But it is visually spoiled by the streaky concrete cross-beams. We can't see it but I'll bet there's a similar problem elsewhere. Someone should have taken this into consideration during the design process.
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#96
Place D'youville In Old Montreal, Canada
Nizumi 12 months ago (edited)
This is an overview of the same building Musée Point à Callière in Old Montreal. If you want urban hell in Montreal, take pictures of St-Catherine Street, or St-Denis - all the closed shops, graffiti, garbage everywhere, patchwork sidewalks... Pointe-a-C...85-png.jpg 
Nizumi 12 months ago
The original building was gutted by fire in the 1940s and became structurally unstable. it was torn down in the 1950s. The building you see was built in 1992. While building esthetics of the 1980s and 1990s leave a LOT to be desired, the architect at least made a nod to the building that used to be there.
#97
A Town Where I Live In Failed To Gentrify. Tokyo, Japan
CanadianDimes 12 months ago
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
#98
Lithuania, Vilnius
Uncle Schmickle 12 months ago
I visited Lithuania some years ago and it seemed OK to me. However some of the smaller towns we passed through between Tallinn and Vilnius had decrepit and depressing - looking rows of communist era apartment blocks.
#99
Baltimore, Maryland (United States Of America)
#100
This Apartment Building In Belgium
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 12 months ago
The plans got crumpled and the builders thought that was the way to build it
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago (edited)
Can any Belgians explain why their country suffers from so much awful architecture and miserable public spaces? I mean, it can't be because there's no available talent or money to do better.
Verena 12 months ago
Living just across the border. The reason is a torn country with no real building code, rules for industry and nature, and areas which have been rich until the recent past and suddenly got poor (Wallonie) and vice versa (Flanders). The country is held together with strings and mud by the King and the status of Brussels as the core of EU/European politics. I say this with full sympathy to our neighbours, which are usually nice people trying to enjoy life. But could you please stop with concreting over our coast, after you ruined yours?
Load More Replies... YakFactory 12 months ago
Did someone design that, or did they stand back and throw the components and hope they stuck?
Forrest Hobbs 12 months ago
Oh yes someone designed it all right. Why, is what I want to know. Were they Flemish speaking and wanted to annoy the Francphones across the street? Please tell me it wasn't that petty and parochial, please!
Load More Replies... #101
I’m A Pilot, This Is Inland Southern Florida From Above
Lyone Fein 12 months ago
This is not urban? It looks blissfully suburban to me, with tons of space and greenery.
martin734 12 months ago
Too uniform, completely soulless and characterless. Where are the shops, the schools and the other amenities that people need in order to live rather than just exist?
Load More Replies... Pittsburgh rare 12 months ago
With no diagonal roads, good luck getting to the nearest hospital,which seems already pretty far, in an emergency
keyboardtek 12 months ago
We lived in West Palm Beach in the 1980's. Back then the city only went about ten miles inland. Then all the wetlands got drained and flat dull suburban sprawl went inland 60 miles!
#102
Bucharest Centre
keyboardtek 12 months ago
Yes, lots of pressure washing and more street lights would be a good start.
Load More Replies... Add New Image
What do you think ?
martin734 12 months ago
This is where I live, a little village called Studland, in the county of Dorset on England's south coast. studland-d...a6d623.jpg 
Fellfromthemoon 12 months ago
In the seventeenth century, there were seven hundred million people on the Earth. After WWI. about two billion, in the nineties, five billion, now we are over eight billion, at the end of this century, eleven billion are expected. Either we make the entire dry surface a waste suburbia or accept that we need to live above each other, in larger buildings.
Hugo 1 month ago
I doubt the human species will make it to the end of the century.
Load More Replies... Verena 12 months ago
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.
Uncle Schmickle 12 months ago
I'm surprised there were no pictures of Detroit or Gary, Indiana. From photos and films I've seen, I think the most soulless and depressing examples of "Urban Hell" would be in N.Korea and parts of Russia. Other places are condemned to this hell because of over population.
Iampenny 12 months ago
I visited Georgia this year and while it was stunning, some larger cities really shocked me (esp Batumi). This place is full of luxury hotels and casinos for the rich, and right next door there were high rise flats that were literally falling apart. People were living there in absolute poverty and struggling to make ends meet. When they looked out of their windows, the view they would get was of people living a lavish lifestyle, slurping Champagne and caviar. While I, myself am not rich, I can afford to travel, which is why we always choose to stay in small local hotels and support the local businesses.
Maim 8 months ago (edited)
I get that everyone is appalled by all the concrete, buildings, etc. But if we keep populating, and making people live outside their means, NO ONE can afford anything with any sort of land (there wouldn't be space anyway for everyone to have land). Being close to a city is sometimes all some people can do-having to rely on public transport. So all the people saying "ugh too many cars/streets/buildings".... where would YOU have people live??
martin734 12 months ago
This is where I live, a little village called Studland, in the county of Dorset on England's south coast. studland-d...a6d623.jpg
Fellfromthemoon 12 months ago
In the seventeenth century, there were seven hundred million people on the Earth. After WWI. about two billion, in the nineties, five billion, now we are over eight billion, at the end of this century, eleven billion are expected. Either we make the entire dry surface a waste suburbia or accept that we need to live above each other, in larger buildings.
Hugo 1 month ago
I doubt the human species will make it to the end of the century.
Load More Replies... Verena 12 months ago
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.
Uncle Schmickle 12 months ago
I'm surprised there were no pictures of Detroit or Gary, Indiana. From photos and films I've seen, I think the most soulless and depressing examples of "Urban Hell" would be in N.Korea and parts of Russia. Other places are condemned to this hell because of over population.
Iampenny 12 months ago
I visited Georgia this year and while it was stunning, some larger cities really shocked me (esp Batumi). This place is full of luxury hotels and casinos for the rich, and right next door there were high rise flats that were literally falling apart. People were living there in absolute poverty and struggling to make ends meet. When they looked out of their windows, the view they would get was of people living a lavish lifestyle, slurping Champagne and caviar. While I, myself am not rich, I can afford to travel, which is why we always choose to stay in small local hotels and support the local businesses.
Maim 8 months ago (edited)
I get that everyone is appalled by all the concrete, buildings, etc. But if we keep populating, and making people live outside their means, NO ONE can afford anything with any sort of land (there wouldn't be space anyway for everyone to have land). Being close to a city is sometimes all some people can do-having to rely on public transport. So all the people saying "ugh too many cars/streets/buildings".... where would YOU have people live??
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