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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
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#2
Beautiful Bangladesh
Forrest Hobbs 11 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.
#3
Postman On His Kowloon Route, 1989
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 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
#5
From West Berlin, Looking East Over The Berlin Wall's "Death Strip" In 1986
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 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.
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 11 months ago
And the waiting lists for some of those apartments are mind-boggling.
#7
Outskirts Of Mexico City
#8
Norilsk, Russia
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
#10
Jalousie In Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
She who must not be named 11 months ago (edited)
I'm certainly not 'jalous' of those who live there
#11
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.
#12
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 151 Days Without Rain. Swallowed By Smoke Of Criminal Fires All Over Brazil
Lady Lestrange 11 months ago
This makes me think of all the people with breathing difficulties
#13
Hanoi, Vietnam
#14
Immensity Of Los Angeles
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
#17
Apartments Under An Overpass In Nanming District, Guyana, China
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
#20
Dubai City Of Artificiality
keyboardtek 11 months ago
I don't understand the tourist appeal for cities with massive amounts of concrete and tall buildings.
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
#22
The View When I Leave My Building On A Winter Morning, Downtown Shanghai
PeepPeep the duck 11 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?
#23
Biryulyovo Zapadnoe District, Moscow
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
#25
Chaos Of All Sorts In Cairo, Egypt
#26
Buildings Built On Sand Dunes In Concon, Chile
Wood Carver 11 months ago
Particularly terrifying given that the area is prone to earthquakes and sand loves to get all unstable when the ground gets shaky...
#27
A House In Between Highways In Thailand
Carl Roberts 11 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.
#28
A Famous Bank In Pau, France
#29
The Before And After Of San Luis Potosi, Mexico
#30
Kensington Philadelphia, Pa (United States Of America)
#31
Chongqing China
#32
Vorkuta Is A Coal-Mining Town In The Komi Republic, Russia
#33
Cable Management In Bangladesh
#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 11 months ago (edited)
Cañada, not Canada. It's La Cañada Real, Madrid. No relationship with the soccer team.
#36
Couldn't They Just Plant A Tree?
#37
Hong Kong The Concrete Jungle
PeepPeep the duck 11 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
#41
Factories Loom Over A Graveyard In Louisiana's "Cancer Alley", An 85 Mile Stretch Of Polluted Towns
#42
Cheboksary, Russia
#43
View From A Classroom Of A College I Used To Go To. Moscow
#44
In Cars We Trust
Lyone Fein 11 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.
#45
Bucharest, Romania
#46
This Is In Changsha, Hunan, China
#48
Mogadishu Looks Straight From Fallout
#49
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Ca. (Was Formerly A Vibrant Latino Community)
BrunoVI 11 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.
#50
Historical Building (Grave) From 1800s Demolished Today To Create A Highway
Forrest Hobbs 11 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?
#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
#53
Vancouver, Canada
Elladine DesIsles 11 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.
#54
Overpopulated Istanbul
#55
New York City, 1982
#56
Anti-Homeless Solution In Tokyo, Japan
YakFactory 11 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".
#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
#62
The Apartment My Friend Used To Live In – Dhaka, Bangladesh
PeepPeep the duck 11 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 11 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
#66
Kaliningrad, Russia
Forrest Hobbs 11 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
#67
Gela, Sicily, Italy. The Amount Of Trash On This Otherwise Beautiful Island Really Surprised Me
#68
Margate, England
#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 11 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
#77
Housing In Upper Manhattan, NYC
#78
San Francisco, California, USA
Giuseppe Palmisano 11 months ago
Idiots blaming the liberals for a problem created by Republicans.
#79
Egypt’s New Capital From The Sky
#80
Anaheim Stadium (1977)
Forrest Hobbs 11 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 11 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 11 months ago
After a Google inspection, I'd say this is the nicest photo of the place.
#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
#87
Somewhere In Poland
Forrest Hobbs 11 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.
#88
Novocherkassk, Russia
#89
New York
#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
#94
Living Under A Ramp. Tenerife. Spain
#95
Kawaramachi Residential Building, Kawasaki, Japan - Designed By Sachio Otani In 1970
#96
Place D'youville In Old Montreal, Canada
#97
A Town Where I Live In Failed To Gentrify. Tokyo, Japan
CanadianDimes 11 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
#99
Baltimore, Maryland (United States Of America)
#100
This Apartment Building In Belgium
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 11 months ago
The plans got crumpled and the builders thought that was the way to build it
#101
I’m A Pilot, This Is Inland Southern Florida From Above
Lyone Fein 11 months ago
This is not urban? It looks blissfully suburban to me, with tons of space and greenery.
#102
Bucharest Centre
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What do you think ?
martin734 11 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 11 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 11 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 11 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 11 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 7 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??
Rich Black 11 months ago
We're past the tipping point of overpopulation. Driving a tesla isn't going to save the planet, snowflakes
Philly Bob 11 months ago
I grew up in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. But it was back in the days where it was all family, you walked to school with no problems, they decorated under the EL for blocks on end at Christmas, lots of small shops and eateries. I went to Conwell and Mastbaum. Now, The street I used to walk to school is a total nightmare, the other side (Dauphin St where I lived) heading towards Fishtown (Frankford) is now all built up and the row homes are now a half-mil while d***s and crime run rampant on the Kensington Ave side. It's so sad and odd at the same time.
martin734 11 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 11 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 11 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 11 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 11 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 7 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??
Rich Black 11 months ago
We're past the tipping point of overpopulation. Driving a tesla isn't going to save the planet, snowflakes
Philly Bob 11 months ago
I grew up in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. But it was back in the days where it was all family, you walked to school with no problems, they decorated under the EL for blocks on end at Christmas, lots of small shops and eateries. I went to Conwell and Mastbaum. Now, The street I used to walk to school is a total nightmare, the other side (Dauphin St where I lived) heading towards Fishtown (Frankford) is now all built up and the row homes are now a half-mil while d***s and crime run rampant on the Kensington Ave side. It's so sad and odd at the same time.
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