
People On This Group Are Sharing Examples Of ‘Urban Hell’ That Look Like A Dystopian Movie But Are Sadly Real (40 Pics)
Not every building is as beautiful as the Palace of Versailles. Or blends into its surroundings as well as the Macallan Distillery. On the contrary, there are many structures across the world looking like outcasts that will fall apart during the next storm. In some places, they aren't isolated examples, either — even an entire neighborhood can be an abomination. And you can find them on r/UrbanHell.
It's a photography subreddit of "all the hideous places human beings built or inhabit." The online community invites everyone who wants to explore the darker side of the cities, towns, and villages in our shared world and welcomes any photos which show either ugliness, or a problem in urban development. Rural and suburban nightmares are also allowed.
Below you will find a collection of pics that perfectly describe what this subreddit is all about.
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The Annual Monsoon Ritual Of Mumbai's Ocean Giving Back What Has Been Dumped In It
If only nature could actually give back all the trash to us, maybe we will see the damage we are doing :(
Hong Kong Street Life
It's all effect - lens, zoom and angle. If you were to stand in that place it would look nothing like that. It might seem a little bleak, but this image was deliberately taken in a way so as to -EMPHASISE- a depiction of poverty. It's a bit like taking a zoom shot of an open wound with necrotic infection and presenting that as representative of healthcare. It's very dishonest. And when you take into account that this is obviously somewhere in China and that things look like that in China not because there's no money but because of a cultural attitude that says public space is "not my responsibility", is "someone else's responsibility", then the lie is even more insidious. You see nice cars, restaurants, so could conclude everyone's fine, but you see dirty walls and squirm, but that's just your prejudice. And though large numbers of people in relatively small spaces is normal for any large city, that this image enhances the effect, along with the grime, leads your mind to false conclusions, which is again borne of your prejudice. And while prejudice is not a bad thing in and of itself (despite the noise of hordes of excitable, simple-minded dumbards), at least know it for what it is.
Load More Replies...For the dramatic/cinematic purposes, the photographer cropped out the greenery and blue sky in the back Screen-Sho...aa-png.jpg
Thank you for a blunt display of truth against the over-dramatizing!
Load More Replies...While I agree that this is seemingly awful AND there are multiple streets in HK that look like this, there’s also a whole lot of beauty there too. (Although they have waaay too many people in that tiny area).
There are people living in worse places than this, further out on the subway line from Kowloon.....some people sleep (“live”?) in the equivalent of a luggage locker! The people in THIS building can at least walk upright in their homes!
Living in places the size of luggage lockers? Are you serious? I have never been able to go out of the US, so this is why I am asking.
Load More Replies...Hong Kong is actually a lovely place to live. It's right on the bay, lovely sea breeze in fall and spring, blue skies and great transportation. Lots of parks and hiking trails in the forest literally minutes from Central/downtown. Nothing about this is sad except what the photographer CHOSE to show you, how they edited the photo, and your narrow impression based on a single photo.
Ok? Even nice places have crappy areas. We have one entry here from Poland...no one is arguing that the entire of Poland is horrible, just the area shown. Same here.
Load More Replies...I am not an engineer so I hope someone with Expertise will read it and maybe provide an answer. I always asked myself how is it possible for this building not to collapse? I mean they look so bridle and run down. Of course I hope they won't collapse. As I visit Russia regular I see similar buildings and every time I ask myself this question.
It’s a tram, quite a romantic and cheap way to see Hong Kong.
Load More Replies...It’s really not that bad around HK, the living conditions are okay, it’s a Shopping Paradise, ( malls can be found anywhere!) street food is great, there are great scenic spots, ( the Peak, Victoria Harbour, the Big Buddha) and it’s about as cool as it gets! ( now that we’ve gotten out of the happy comfort zone, here’s HK behind the veil! There’s the police brutality, the National Security Law prevents anyone from speaking out, and other stuff. Believe me, under that happy face, it’s a f*****g dystopia)
We saw terrible living conditions on the outskirts of Caracus, Venezula...shacks were built on top of each other going up a huge mountain..thousands of them just stacked on each other. And there had to be 200 electrical cords hanging off of ONE electric pole.. I couldn't help but think what would happen if just one spark would hit something..the whole mountain would have gone up in flames & how many people would get caught in it. I almost felt guilty having such a good life, compared to this... I thank God every day for my life, my kids, & grands, & family & friends...
Looks straight out of some Dystopian fiction. It is so totally lifeless and anxiety-inducing. God have mercy on those people living in there.
There's a reason they had that one-child policy per family. Unfortunately, I think they lifted it recently or at least adjusted it. I totally agree the over breeding of humans is one of our most pressing problems.
Load More Replies...This place is in Quarry Bay, where all the photography loves to take "Monster Building" And this building color is pale pink, the real place don't even look like that, and nope not all of them living in cages, just like people who's living in the big cities, NY, Japan, Korea just names a few
The last time I was there was in 1988 ... I could see these types of buildings in the distance, but never got as close as this picture. Just WOW 😳!
simply through an accident of birth, one of those windows could be mine!
simply through a random accident of birth, one of those windows could be mine!
Yick Fat Building - The appartments in there aren't half bad ... Just a bit small for Western standards
Hong Kong is the most vertical city in the world. They're running out of land it's getting so expensive they have to make the most out of it.
I don't understand why they don't at least strip it up into nearby towers or something. It is too wide...too tall...
Load More Replies...Actually, it’s not as bad as the photograph. Take the tram as an example. That’s actually one of Hong Kong’s cultural heritages. And the people there are quite proud of it. A city is not only about developing itself, but also the sense of identity and continuity from the people. And yes I don’t deny that Hong Kong is pretty crowded, but it’s definitely not a hell .
Do note that. HK isn’t represented by this specific building.
Load More Replies...The citizens of Hong Kong are happy and healthy. The men have a life expectancy second only to the Japanese, and the HK women live longer than anybody.
Lived in Hong Kong in my teens, absolutely loved it. But I was, and remain, horrified at the pollution. I was surrounded by beaches and a harbor I didn't dare dip a toe in. As far the neighborhoods, some, like this one, I couldn't explore much. The air is literally toxic. Now, I could just head back up the Peak to the lovely apartment with the beautiful view. Everyone else live and work there.
This is what overpopulation looks like...remember how family values and having families first was the biggest motto during the Bush Administration.?? Well...its coming....this
Oh, this is beyond belief. Probably some of those people have never seen a tree 🌳 or a river or a blade of grass. Unimaginable!😢
Don't worry, full pic has green behind it sort of. Still f* up.
Load More Replies...This is the way that disease spreads, when people live on top of each other, in filthy conditions, the perfect storm for a pandemic
Must be Kowloon. Hong Kong was immaculate when last there. A lot of people consider the mainland directly across from the island Hong Kong, but it isn't.
It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so drab. There are so many people in such a small area that this kind of setup makes sense. I've heard Hong Kong streets are actually super clean. It's just so packed with people. Apartments are tiny. NY and Boston will be this way before long.
Seemingly it is still better than living in China where you can have all the room you want.
FIRST THOUGHT, WTH am I looking at? Zoom in a realize these are housing units! OMG! Closterphobic just looking at this photo! Then immediately thought, What happens if there's a FIRE?
I see housing. A warm tiny place that protects from rainy freezing cold.
I’d feel like a number. In the billions. No personal space. I’d need to be hospitalized for shock. We are so lucky in the USA
Looking at that doesn't feel good ... it is foreboding, and that's a lot of internal building to navigate to enter or leave if you're on the 12th floor. Yea, doesn't feel good
It seems like a manipulated photo to make it look bad. Hong Kong is a prosperous modern place.
Reminds me of Black and White (good game series). You could become an evil deity by making the worshippers live in sky scrapers packed in like sardines. This feels vaguely similar.
Reminds me of the game Black and White. Easy way to become an evil deity was to build skyscrapers to pack the people in.
That's amazing. I, personally, didnt see the poor and dirty that most discribed but I saw way too many people way too close together. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it...
I'm depressed just looking at the pic let alone trying to live there.
They are so over populated ,hopefully there are no rough sleepers even though it’s a concrete jungle.
I went there on business once, and a colleague who lived there told me there was once a pollution challenge: stretch big rubber bands around two hangers, hang one on your balcony, and one in your closet. See how long the pollution takes to degrade the rubber. The one on the balcony broke down in two weeks. Two. Weeks.
This is literally one of the most depressing things that I have ever seen. Nothing but concrete-dirty gray gloomy concrete that blocks the sky,the sun,stars and moon.
I can't imagine living in a building that big. I still want to visit one day.
This must be Kowloon, I’ve been to Hong Kong and it was not like this on the island
Wait till you see the glitzy business district and shopping stretch where the rich folks hang out... That doubles the pain felt.
My sleep deprived brain just went with 'Imagine the devastation if that collapsed!'
I've not be able to see an image that shows how much higher this structure goes. Is it at the very top here?
Compared to others, these people believe that they are the lucky ones.
this is what over-population looks like - on a small scale. People need to be responsible and stop having kids.
Buildings like this can be seen adjacent to sumptuous hotels , as we saw back in 2006 !
This is a tourist site because it was featured in some transformers movie and around the corner from me. Pictures are a bit deceptive, this is right next to a protected country park and doesn't look all that bad
Imagine the horror when/if one of those window air conditioners fell down... down... down...
When I saw this picture in the preview my first thought was Hong Kong. I hated visiting there for this reason. I remember going up the peak tram to the top and looking over the city and being struck by just how grey and sterile it looked and it make me really sad.
Did you not make it to Lamma island? You missed a lot!
Load More Replies...Oh my God that is so depressing. Realize I'm saying same thing but I don't have the words. My meds take care of it in USA but I'd kill myself if I lived there.
Hk is quite green. We have tons of beaches abs hiking trails. In fact less than 25% of hk is developed. Because of the mountainous terrain they can only build in certain areas. I live on a tiny island called Lamma outside the city where it's green and clean.
Load More Replies...There do be those americans with bigass houses complaining about how their homes are too small
It looks pretty awful from the outside, but I wonder what an individual apartment-dweller might feel about their little space. I live in a tiny city apartment, and I love my little home.
Some tolerate it, some know they are lucky to have a home. Many aren’t too bad inside. The outside of these buildings doesn’t get cleaned. But these apartments are always very small.
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Imagine if that building collapsed like the one in FL? People are living like sardines in a can!!
wow... and after what just happened in Miami, I would be TERRIFIED just to visit in that building, let alone sleep there
I find it pretty in a weird way and it's very presumptive from all of you to say that only sad, poor people live there.
CAN WE PLEASE JUST GO BACK LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS TO BEFORE WE HAD TO LIVE WITH STUFF LIKE THIS? Thank you
You mean to times where we had to deal with dying from infected toenails and jurisdiction based on personal reputation?
Load More Replies...How awful. Too bad no one cares enough to clean up at least their patio/balcony. What a dreary life. This breaks my heart.
Even if they could they wouldn’t. South east Asia has a mild/mildew issue so that if the building is old/cheaper no one is going to clean it. They’d have to do it all the time.
Load More Replies...I didn’t think that Japan would allow this kind of ghetto! They are suppose to be clean!
About half of the global population already lives in cities, and by 2050, two-thirds of the world's people are expected to live in urban areas. But as you can see from some of the photos in r/UrbanHell, in cities, two of the most pressing problems facing the world today also come together: poverty and environmental degradation.
Bad urban development isn't just ugly aesthetics. It's also poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal problems, and high energy consumption, all of which are exacerbated by the increasing population density and demands of urban environments. Strong city planning is essential in managing these and other difficulties as the world's urban areas grow.