50 Chaotic Examples And Downsides Of Urban Development

When we look at urban development and towering skyscrapers, we usually enjoy how majestic they make the skyline look. But every structure casts a shadow. The subreddit ‘Urban Hell‘ is where modern concrete jungles are called out for all the chaos and disarray they entail.

Created in 2013, this online community now has 1.2 million members, who regularly share pictures of buildings and cities that suggest we’re already living in a dystopia.

Whether it’s the dirty slums against the shiny downtown in the background, abandoned stadiums, or packed streets under neon lights, is this the best we humans can do?

01. Light Pollution From Train Line Over Old Houses In China

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02. Hong Kong, Enough Said

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According to Yan Liu, a professor of geographical information science at the University of Queensland, and Rachel Gallagher, a Ph.D. candidate at the same institution, zoning has been the critical tool used by urban planners to influence how our cities grow and change for almost a century.

“Contemporary zoning truly developed after the Second World War,” the researchers wrote. “A combination of large real estate interests and the emerging field of urban planning created low-density, car-centric suburbs.”

Urban plans called for standardized subdivisions, land uses, and engineering of streets and infrastructure.

03. Gurugram, India

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04. Balcony Façade Of A Famous Hotel In Thailand

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05. Naples, Italy

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Detached houses in residential suburbs primarily characterized urban development, while large road networks separated these suburbs from commercial and industrial areas of the city.

However, in the late 1980s, many cities began introducing planning mechanisms to restrict outward expansion. Changes in zoning allowed for increased density and a mix of land uses—the aim was to encourage redevelopment of existing urban areas.

06. Satellite View Of New Delhi (A City Of Some 20 Million People)

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07. Caribbean Coast Estate, Hong Kong

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08. Istanbul Traffic

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09. Egyptian Times Square, Cairo, Egypt

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Yet, as cities become denser and the traditional suburban “house and garden” is redeveloped, buildings are replacing trees, and settlements become grayer.

Replacing an existing home with a larger house or several townhouses typically strips all existing vegetation from the site.

10. The Other Side Of Rio De Janeiro

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11. Detroit, Michigan

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12. Mumbai Water Pipes With Garbage And Slums, Those Pipes Supply Water To Localities With Apartment Rates Exceeding A Million Dollar For 3bhk In Bandra, Santacruz

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13. Contrasts

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Compact city land-use policies and urban forest policies need to work together to ensure that there can be both high-quality built environments and extensive tree cover.

Experts argue that cities urgently need more strategic identification of small and large lots suitable for more intensified development, mainly to reduce the need for the widespread low-level consolidation that threatens tree cover.

14. Once Upon A Time, These Houses Have A Sea View, Now They Have This View

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15. Hong Kong Apartments

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16. Merry Christmas Sign On A Blast Furnace In Brazil

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17. Burlington Beach, Ontario

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At the same time, land-use regulation should ensure that both low-yield and higher-density redevelopment maintain the contribution of private land to the urban forest. Existing and new approaches to achieving this outcome must be considered, whether done through local rules, government programs, or incentive schemes.

18. Metro Manila, Philippines

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19. Small City In China

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20. Mansion Under Bay Bridge In San Francisco, CA

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21. Phnom Penh New Gated Community

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Rapid urban consolidation can change urban landscapes significantly over the next few decades, and the right decisions need to be made to ensure we don’t end up with more “urban hell,” which can be further explored in our previous publications on the subreddit here and here.

22. Brazil

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23. Kindergarten In One Of The Settlements Near Vorkuta

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24. View From My Hotel In Downtown Naples, Italy

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25. Tokyo From Sky Tree

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26. Early Powerline Setups – When Thousands Of Cables Filled The Sky

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27. Tokyo, Japan

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28. Sigh… Parking Lots

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29. A Normal Day In Kowloon 20 Years Ago

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30. State University Of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

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31. Neon District In The Lahore Walled City

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32. Imagine Using This Picture To Advertise Your City

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33. Gary, Indiana

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34. Slums In Jakarta, Indonesia

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35. Real Estate Boom In Newtown, India

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36. Mumbai, India In All It’s Glory

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37. Can Anyone Confirm If This Is As Bad As It Seems?

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38. Tarlabaşı, One Of The Poorest Neighborhoods In Istanbul

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39. Man On Pedestrian Bridge Overlooking Traffic In Lagos, Nigeria. (Photo: Akintunde Akinleye)

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40. Houses Combined With The Wall Next To A Freeway. So Depressing

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41. LA, Office Tower

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42. Dystopian Thessaloniki

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43. What Happens When We Build For Cars Instead Of People

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44. Government Housing. São Paulo

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45. Dubai, UAE

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46. Chişinau Urban Development

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47. The End Of Post-War Dreams. Newcastle, UK

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48. When You Want To Look Whimsical But Hate The Homeless

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49. Urban Development Of Lagos, Nigeria

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50. An Old Church Was Demolished To Make Way For A Real Estate Development Of Apartment Buildings In Shanxi, China

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