ADVERTISEMENT

Imagine waking up in a dystopian world where all trees are plastic, where all streets are buried in piles of trash, where pollution is so bad you can’t see the sky, and where rivers have turned into concrete.

Well, in fact, this is already happening in some places around the world, according to the eye-opening subreddit named Urban Hell. Its 689k members share “all the hideous places human beings built or inhabit,” according to the group’s description and you can see these are not pretty.

Scroll through the real-life examples of urban hell below that reveal the dark side of modern development that often remains invisible. Psst! More urban hell examples can be found in our previous post right here.

#1

A Boy Gathers Recyclable Items From A Semi-Dry Drain, At Taimoor Nagar In New Delhi

A Boy Gathers Recyclable Items From A Semi-Dry Drain, At Taimoor Nagar In New Delhi

ParaMike46 Report

RELATED:
    #2

    Magnitogorsk, One Of The Worst Polluted Cities In Russia. Only 28% Of The Children Born In The Town Are Fully Healthy

    Magnitogorsk, One Of The Worst Polluted Cities In Russia. Only 28% Of The Children Born In The Town Are Fully Healthy

    Travel_legend Report

    To find out more about urban living and the downsides of it, Bored Panda reached out to Lisa Yaszek, a Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, where she researches and teaches science fiction as a global language crossing centuries, continents, and cultures.

    “The traditional advantage of urban life is that cities are engines of technoscientific development and cultural exchange, and that is true now more than ever, as we see new megacities of 10 million or more people springing up around the world,” Lisa explained.

    According to the professor, since the development of large industrial cities in the 1800s, the downsides of urban living have become increasingly evident. “Cities organized around factories and power plants tend to be environmental disasters, with clouds of pollution sometimes literally blotting out the sun and preventing the growth of anything green on the ground.”

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #4

    Ah Yes, Trees

    Ah Yes, Trees

    MAAAS399 Report

    #5

    San Francisco, USA

    San Francisco, USA

    Sayl0 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Hans
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How a country with the self-understanding of being the world's leader would let this happen is beyond comprehension.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #6

    Norilsk, Russia

    Norilsk, Russia

    carlelov Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Capelli rosa e patate
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Norilsk was built by Gulag prisoners. Lead mines. The rain there is basically acid. Horrible that anyone still has to live there, such a hopeless place

    View more commentsArrow down menu

    Another downside is that “industrial and postindustrial cities also tend to attract disproportionate numbers of both highly skilled workers (often in finance or business) and unskilled laborers (often in factories or domestic work). As such, they make evident the very real and increasing gap between the rich and the poor.”

    “Finally, cities tend to be surrounded by suburbs with single-family homes that, in theory, offer a better balance between nature and technology. In practice, however, suburbs have their own problems: their emphasis on visual uniformity is often part of a larger tendency toward cultural segregation, and the need to drive everywhere—including in and out of the city—only adds to our current environmental problems,” Lisa explained.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #7

    A Photo Of Central Park During The Great Depression (New York, 1933)

    A Photo Of Central Park During The Great Depression (New York, 1933)

    Double_Usual3271 Report

    #8

    Town Square In Bartoszyce (Poland) Before And After

    Town Square In Bartoszyce (Poland) Before And After

    slopeclimber Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #9

    Residential Building In Hong Kong, Shot By Me On 35mm Film

    Residential Building In Hong Kong, Shot By Me On 35mm Film

    dredogue Report

    When asked whether we can go backward and undo the harm that historic urban development practices have done to the physical world around us, Lisa said that she doesn’t think it’s possible. “But I do believe we can go forward in new ways,” she added.

    “In particular, we can learn from our mistakes and rehabilitate the spaces we’ve already created, rather than simply abandoning or bulldozing over them. We can do this by either inventing new or recovering old technoscientific practices that better respect the coincidence between nature and culture and by practicing a different kind of urban design that springs from the lived reality of city-dwellers, rather than the abstract theorizing of planners and developers who often live in spaces far removed from the cities they design.”

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #10

    Burj Al Babas, Turkey (The Largest Ghost Town In The World)

    Burj Al Babas, Turkey (The Largest Ghost Town In The World)

    8_Hoot Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    KJ
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "where do you live", "Im in the white house with a turret".

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #11

    Disgusting Canal Near My Home In Manila. I Wish People Just Would Bother To Care How Our Environment Is Dying Fast

    Disgusting Canal Near My Home In Manila. I Wish People Just Would Bother To Care How Our Environment Is Dying Fast

    AgentFive005 Report

    #12

    Ferentari, The Poorest Area Of Bucharest, Romania - Most Apartments Are Squatted And Have No Electricity, Hard To Believe This Is In The European Union

    Ferentari, The Poorest Area Of Bucharest, Romania - Most Apartments Are Squatted And Have No Electricity, Hard To Believe This Is In The European Union

    biwook Report

    Lisa explained that if this sounds like utopian science fiction, that’s because it is. “Before Lang riveted the world with his image of the city as a gray, vertical dystopia that destroys nature and literally increases the gulf between rich and poor, stories by women of color including Bengali author Rokheya Hossain’s 'Sultana’s Dream' (1905) and American writer Pauline Hopkins’s Of One Blood (1902) presented readers with an alternative to urban hell: the 'garden megacity' that runs on solar power and where the equality of all people, regardless of race or gender, is made literal through horizontal urban design.”

    The professor continued: “In the 1970s, American author and New York City dweller Samuel R. Delany’s Triton and Dhalgren rebutted the narrative of 'white flight' from permanently ruined cities by celebrating the excitement he saw in the women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people around him moving into cities and making them their own. This led Delany to imagine what he called 'heterotopian' urban spaces where people use technology and art to create so many new identities and communities that it becomes impossible for one group to economically or politically dominate another.”

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #13

    The Flag Of Urban Hell

    The Flag Of Urban Hell

    thefridgeinthegarage Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    KJ
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That must have taken some effort to get the trolley up there in the first place.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #15

    Macau

    Macau

    FishMonkeyCow Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Ivo H
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm affraid that having this kind of appartment will soon be considered lucky.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    “More recently, works including Caribbean-Canadian author Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring (1998); Nigerian digital artist Olelekan Jeyifous’s 'Shanty Megastructures' (2015) and 'Frozen Zone' (2021), and American filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018) have created what I call a 'nutopian' tradition of speculative storytelling celebrating how indigenous peoples around the world draw and weave together their own diverse knowledge systems with Western ones to begin the long but literally fruitful process of reclaiming urban spaces and creating better futures for all,” the professor explains.

    #16

    Huntington Beach, California, During The Oil Boom Of 1928

    Huntington Beach, California, During The Oil Boom Of 1928

    RareGentleman Report

    #17

    Not Sure If This Fits The Sub, Gallons And Gallons Of Water Wasted Just To Keep Lush Green Golf Fields In The Middle Of The Desert

    Not Sure If This Fits The Sub, Gallons And Gallons Of Water Wasted Just To Keep Lush Green Golf Fields In The Middle Of The Desert

    runy05 Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #18

    This Beautiful View From My NYC Apartment

    This Beautiful View From My NYC Apartment

    SlenderFinger Report

    The reason why Lisa has hope—”and the reason that all these authors have such beautiful future visions of the reclaimed city—is because real people are trying to build such futures for us now, in the real world!”

    “For example, here in the U.S., urban farmers Will Allen and Emmanuel Pratt have won MacArthur 'genius' grants for their innovative use of both indigenous and Western farming practices to replace urban food deserts with locally owned food oases, while members of the Black Quantum Futurism Collective hold events to collect and share Black history and urban knowledge.”

    #19

    16th Century Mill Surrounded By Brand New Concrete In Seaside Bulgaria

    16th Century Mill Surrounded By Brand New Concrete In Seaside Bulgaria

    proBICEPS Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Spinz
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never thought I would feel bad for a mill, but here we are

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #21

    "Lying Skyscraper" In Moscow. About 736m Long

    "Lying Skyscraper" In Moscow. About 736m Long

    wicnfuai Report

    According to Lisa, the conversion of old rail tracks into green beltlines through cities like New York and Atlanta indicates things are taking a turn for the better. “It shows real attention to the way that people actually live in and use their cities, as well as the possibility that we can bring together nature and infrastructure in ways that benefit the many rather than just the few.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Interestingly, this isn’t just happening in the U.S. “In Kisumu City, Kenya, the Food Liaison Advisory Group is working to reconnect the city with the larger region to ensure supplies of healthy food and give rural farmers access to wider markets, while urban dwellers in India can use the 'Clean India' app to track and help resolve sanitation issues in their own and other nearby cities,” Lisa explained and added that she can’t wait to see what kinds of new and hopefully more utopian science fictional cities these actions inspire.

    #22

    Intersection Of Two Avenues In Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Intersection Of Two Avenues In Sao Paulo, Brazil

    RAEL_ATK Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Robert T
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And all because they couldn't follow the basic rules of a box junction - in the UK it is illegal to enter a box junction unless it is clear on the other side and you can be fined if you stop on the yellow hatchings - precisely to stop this kind of problem.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    In the not-so-distant past, urbanization was understood as this ideal mode of modern living, the one which seemed to be very efficient, orderly, and adaptable to individual needs. Most importantly, it aimed at catering to a rapidly soaring population that found itself lacking in space, infrastructure, and opportunities in suburban areas. Our economies have become more industrialized over the past few hundred years, which made people move to cities.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The United Nations (2018) predicted that by the year 2050, 68% of the global human population would live in urban areas, constantly growing in surface. And today, we no longer talk about cities, there’s a new term for cities much bigger than a 10-million population and it’s called a “megacity.” Tokyo is an example of a megacity with nearly 40 million residents.

    #25

    Children Playing Basketball Near The John E. Amos Coal-Fired Power Plant In Poca, West Virginia

    Children Playing Basketball Near The John E. Amos Coal-Fired Power Plant In Poca, West Virginia

    ParaMike46 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Beth L
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Most of what you're seeing there is steam from the cooling towers

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #26

    Distance Between Two Apartments, Guangzhou

    Distance Between Two Apartments, Guangzhou

    tanmaypendse63 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Ivo H
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is most claustrophobic and depressing photo taken outside I've ever seen.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #27

    Inequality In Mumbai, India

    Inequality In Mumbai, India

    tanmaypendse63 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Atir Reyam
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sadly, I have never seen a movie or a photo that has inspired me to want to visit India.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #28

    A Graveyard In Hong Kong

    A Graveyard In Hong Kong

    Porodicnostablo Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Andrew Gibb
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It is in the dead centre of town. People are dying to visit it....🥁🥁🥁

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #29

    Bliska Wola Tower, Warsaw, Poland. Sunlight Rarely Reaches The Bottom Floors, And Some Apartments Are As Small As 18 M²

    Bliska Wola Tower, Warsaw, Poland. Sunlight Rarely Reaches The Bottom Floors, And Some Apartments Are As Small As 18 M²

    gaymeteorologistlol Report

    #30

    Only Surviving Photo Of A Hoarder House Demolished Around 2007 In Nagoya, Japan

    Only Surviving Photo Of A Hoarder House Demolished Around 2007 In Nagoya, Japan

    biwook Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #31

    Preschool In Newark, NJ, 1994

    Preschool In Newark, NJ, 1994

    FromLuxorToEphesus Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Hans
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you need barbed wire around a school and metal detectors to get it, you should realize it is time for change.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #34

    Abidjan, Ivory Coast

    Abidjan, Ivory Coast

    gustaver19 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Ciara Stone
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah I did, in fact, just went a bit existential and philosophical over this. Bite me. To the photographer seriously enter photography contests

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #35

    My Dorm At The University Of South Carolina (1998), Since Demolished

    My Dorm At The University Of South Carolina (1998), Since Demolished

    tuna-from-a-stranger Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    I I
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yikes , looks like my depression if it where a building

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #36

    Paris, France. A Studio In The Building Between The Boulevard And The Train Rails Highways Starts At 800€/Months. If You Qualify!

    Paris, France. A Studio In The Building Between The Boulevard And The Train Rails Highways Starts At 800€/Months. If You Qualify!

    NormPa Report

    #37

    Amazon’s New Fulfillment Center In Tijuana, Mexico

    Amazon’s New Fulfillment Center In Tijuana, Mexico

    Azrael612 Report

    #38

    Beautiful Pittsburgh Architecture

    Beautiful Pittsburgh Architecture

    MidgetManglr Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #39

    A Famous Bank In Pau, France

    A Famous Bank In Pau, France

    Adrien296 Report

    #40

    Fencemageddon 2 - The Panelling! Pretty Standard View Of English / Irish Estates

    Fencemageddon 2 - The Panelling! Pretty Standard View Of English / Irish Estates

    ParaMike46 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Manndy Fisher
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't see anything wrong with that. This is clearly new estate looking at state of roofing and colour of wood in fences so it's temporarily plain. When people will move in I guarantee there will be bushes and other plants in the gardens. Why fencing you ask? Idk, I personally like my privacy and wouldn't like neighbours to wander around my garden and their dogs sh*t on the grass scaring my kids.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
    Unlimited content
    Ad-free browsing
    Dark mode
    #41

    Business Is Booming

    Business Is Booming

    yungchewie Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Matt Hollis
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I imagine a high percentage of those people either lost their houses due to medical bills or have mental health problems and no money to pay for medical bills

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #42

    Many People Told Me That This Looks Like An Urban Dystopia

    Many People Told Me That This Looks Like An Urban Dystopia

    mazterz Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Limey Cheesehead
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I just looked this building up and it's made with glass blocks. I have to be honest...I love it. I am a huge fan of glass blocks for reasons I can't fully understand, but to each his own.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #43

    Another One For Orange Day In San Francisco Last Year

    Another One For Orange Day In San Francisco Last Year

    mrrektstrong Report

    #44

    This Dunkin Donuts

    This Dunkin Donuts

    justshushi Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    ThePracticalSarcastic
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    doesnt look dystopian to me...it looks like something out of a Wes Anderson movie to me. i like it

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #46

    Is Dubai A Common Repost

    Is Dubai A Common Repost

    DiskEmergency Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Matt Hollis
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Financial collapse and poverty are coming to Dubai in the not so distant future, you will be able to pick one of those up for $1

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #47

    Edifício São Vito, A Notorious Vertical Slum In São Paulo, Brazil - The Internal Corridors Were 80 Cm (31 In) Wide

    Edifício São Vito, A Notorious Vertical Slum In São Paulo, Brazil - The Internal Corridors Were 80 Cm (31 In) Wide

    biwook Report

    #48

    Mumbai, India. Lives Are Stacked Up Because They Are Poor

    Mumbai, India. Lives Are Stacked Up Because They Are Poor

    devansh1221 Report

    #49

    Residence Underneath A Highway In Naples, Italy

    Residence Underneath A Highway In Naples, Italy

    Picf Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Hugh Willie Mungous
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Many parts of Naples are magnificent - some are not. It is unfair to expect Naples to be a vast outdoor museum/gallery.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #50

    New Orleans, A Sinking City

    New Orleans, A Sinking City

    BeardedGlass Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Brian Bennett
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And I complain about water in my basement. But one of the coolest oldest cities in the U.S.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #51

    Apartment Building In Tel Aviv, Israel

    Apartment Building In Tel Aviv, Israel

    jimmythemini Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Limey Cheesehead
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But the rest of the city looks amazing! Highly recommend visiting when it's possible as it's one of the funnest cities on the planet.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #52

    A Silk Road

    A Silk Road

    pile1983 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Jayne Kyra
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People do this to prevent weeds from growing, apparently. I remember being a child and some people having an old carpet in their garden for that reason (Slovakia, this photo is probably Russia.)

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #54

    Atlanta, Us Is Just A Huge Highway With Some Buildings On The Side

    Atlanta, Us Is Just A Huge Highway With Some Buildings On The Side

    VoicedVelarNasal Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #55

    Got The Apartment With A Sea View In Batumi

    Got The Apartment With A Sea View In Batumi

    vitalliuss Report

    #56

    Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, And Its Absurdly Sprawling And Wasteful Parking Lot

    Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, And Its Absurdly Sprawling And Wasteful Parking Lot

    LordMangudai Report

    #57

    L.A.'s Concrete River

    L.A.'s Concrete River

    Phara-Oh Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Linus Nilsson
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Someone correct me, but ain't that the flood canal? To prevent everyones houses from getting submerged?

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #58

    Neighborhood Near A Coal Powered Power Plant In Bogatynia, Poland

    Neighborhood Near A Coal Powered Power Plant In Bogatynia, Poland

    panepojdmesihrat Report

    #59

    Visiting This Russian City? Why Not Stay In This Hotel Built Right Behind The Local Factory

    Visiting This Russian City? Why Not Stay In This Hotel Built Right Behind The Local Factory

    dontflyaway Report

    #60

    23-Story Archive Without Windows, Duisburg, Germany

    23-Story Archive Without Windows, Duisburg, Germany

    x2phantom Report

    #61

    Cairo , Egypt

    Cairo , Egypt

    roastedpickles950 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Stefan Scheiben
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The thing I find most ineresting about cairo is that, if you arrive by plane, you see the buildings start and think "oh, we are going to land, we are at the city." And then - those buildings just continue. Square mile and square mile of inner city, for a long time.

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #62

    Palladium Hell

    Palladium Hell

    rrsafety Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #63

    A Normal Day In The Capital City Of Mongolia

    A Normal Day In The Capital City Of Mongolia

    Desmond1231 Report

    #64

    The Mesmerizing Beauty Of Santorini

    The Mesmerizing Beauty Of Santorini

    Creative_Kangaroo_86 Report

    #65

    Dream Courtyard Between 4 Buildings Near My Work, The Floor Is Actually Painted Green

    Dream Courtyard Between 4 Buildings Near My Work, The Floor Is Actually Painted Green

    Lorenzo_Zaver Report

    #66

    What Italian Cities Actually Look Like. This Is Milan For You

    What Italian Cities Actually Look Like. This Is Milan For You

    4t0m77 Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Red rockin lobster
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The narrow and old streets weren't planned and made for so many cars. There is even an Eco pass to enter the city center, bycicle lanes, a functional metro... But today every family has 2 cars and this happens.

    View more commentsArrow down menu