The world is a beautiful place filled with pristine scenery, majestic nature, and exquisite infrastructures. But there are other parts of our world that are not as picturesque and are very far from glamorous. You may have only seen dystopian cities in movies, but these imagined societies sadly exist in real life. Some of the cities and structures on our planet almost look post-apocalyptic and out of a nightmare, but they are indeed inhabited. It’s the darker side of various suburbs, towns, and villages that we are not accustomed to witnessing. If you have ever wondered what urban hell looks like, these pictures below will show you just that.
this housing complex in Mexico City looks like it was made for a video game
Ok, this is seriously creepy. Just taking a quick glance at this picture, you may think you are in a video game, but these are actually real houses. This is a housing complex in San Buenaventura, Mexico City. This architecture is a strange sight to see. All the houses look the same and are in almost perfect symmetry. If you ever order some food to one of these houses, you’ll have to give some pretty good directions.
The world’s second-largest man-made hole in eastern Siberia is right next to a town
We can’t think of anything quite as frightening as this. There’s a literal town right next to the Mir Diamond Mine in Russia. This hole was originally built in 1957 because of the Soviet Union’s high demand for diamonds. But once it was too hard to continue digging, they stopped entirely. But the city of Mirny still remains in close proximity to the hole. The people were used to accommodating the mineworkers. The mining company gives provides high salaries and other benefits to the people living there in order to rectify the severe living conditions.
New Delhi during lockdown vs now looks like two totally different places
The difference in the air in New Delhi from the pandemic lockdown to now is truly fascinating. Although the lockdown was rough for so many people, it really seemed to clear the air in India, along with other places around the world. But once the capital opened back up again, the pollution took over and is heavily coating New Dheli in smog. We definitely wouldn’t want to leave our homes now in this ominous neighborhood.
people praying at River Yamuna get splashed with waves of industrial waste
The Yamuna River in India is one of the country’s most sacred rivers. The Yamuna is visited by 57 million people and makes up more than 70 percent of Dehli’s water supply. What gives this water its foam is, unfortunately, industrial waste that has polluted the water. Despite these toxic waters, people risk their lives to participate in prayer and worship.
Houses on top of a mall in china greatly contrast with the dull city life below
Now, this is definitely not something you see every day. It’s not only weird because there are houses on top of a shopping mall, but the photo shows a dramatic difference between a rooftop suburban life and the eerie city life below it. The developer Zhuzhou Jiutian Real Estate wanted to bring a hint of suburbia to the city of Zhuzhou, China. It’s a bit strange since the houses are only visible by their surrounding buildings, but invisible to those on the street level below. At the same time, it does offer some well-needed scenery.
The Petare neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela is completely compressed
This is not an optical illusion of any kind. This is actually real and is one crowded neighborhood if we’ve ever seen one. Can you imagine living directly on top of each other? These tightly packed houses are basically stacked on top of one another. There was a boom in urbanization in the 1950s in Venezuela, which created a housing shortage, and in turn, led to overcrowded housing. Today, the town is one of the country’s biggest slums.
This Mitsubishi cement plant in japan looks like a theme park from a sci-fi movie
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any weirder. In the city of Kyushu, Japan you can find the Mitsubishi cement plant. We could come up with a million different things as to what this actually is before knowing it’s a cement plant. Perhaps an abandoned amusement park, an evil genius’s lair, or maybe the background to a 1990’s video game. Although they are good guesses, this cement plant is real and this industry sadly contributes to most of the C02 emissions in our world.
Hyderabad, India: where street goers get bombarded with advertisements
Have you ever scrolled through your phone, or casually watching YouTube videos and keep getting ad after ad? Now imagine that in real life. That’s exactly what happens to the residents of Hyderabad, India. It seems like no matter where you turn, there is an advertisement right in your face. They also seem indistinguishable from one another, making it very difficult to read. It’s like India’s very own Times Square.
‘One more lane on the highway will free up traffic’, They said
Freeways are supposed to be easy to navigate roads, to get us from one location to another in a shorter amount of time. But the Katy Freeway in Houston, Texas not only looks like the most complicated highway to ever exist but also the most crowded despite its many added lanes. This Texas freeway continues to get wider and wider to adjust to traffic problems and now sits at 26 lanes. Cleary, these additions have not helped the congested traffic.
One of the largest slums in the whole world: Dharavi, Mumbai
This is one of those times when you can say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Dharavi, India, you can find one of the largest slums in the world. This photo really captures the inequality in Mumbai. Right next to one of the largest and poorest slums in the world is some of India’s most influential industries. Extreme poverty next to extreme wealth is an interesting sight to see, and not one we usually get to witness from a bird’s eye view.
‘The round houses’ in Moscow, Russia is an actual residential building
This circular housing complex in Moscow, Russia seems like a ghostly place to live. It is a nine-floor building with 913 apartments that was built back in the 1970s when the people need temporary housing during the housing crisis that took place after World War II. The circular form was built to stray away from the boring of the Ochakovo-Matveevskoe district. Nevertheless, we’ll pass on renting out an apartment here.
Mumbai’s ocean said “return to owner” and spit out what was dumped in
India’s Mumbai ocean has had enough and is putting its foot down. Well, in this case, throwing its trash out. In this heartbreaking image, the ocean decided to give back and return everyone’s trash to their original owners during one of India’s annual monsoon seasons. The amount of trash that’s dumped into the waters continues to increase and this image shows a bleak reality if people aren’t more conscious. This truly gives ‘urban hell’ a new meaning.
The view out a window of this Apartment complex in hong kong, china
Looking up from this apartment complex is enough to get anyone dizzy. The people in these Hong Kong apartments live in such close proximity to each other, only a sliver of the sky can be seen. That’s pretty wild. These densely populated and stacked apartments almost create perfect symmetry as you look up. But it’s no place we’d want to live. We can already feel claustrophobia creeping in.
This ironic placement of a trump billboard in Mumbai
In the slums of Mumbai, India, a very ironic sight can be seen. A Donald Trump billboard reading “There is only one way to live. The Trump way” promoting one of his residential buildings is conveniently placed. It’s right above the homeless, showing the striking difference between Trump’s mega-million world, and the world of millions of impoverished Indians. It really goes to show how one-sided the ecosystem is.
The Imbaba neighborhood in Cairo looks like a million different lego pieces
From a bird’s eye view, this town in Cairo, Egypt really looks like a bunch of legos ready to be built. But this is an actual neighborhood, believe it or not. The houses are so cramped together, we can’t imagine how anyone gets any peace and quiet. It’s the 13th largest slum in the world with an extremely high population rate of about 1 million people. No wonder it’s so cramped.
The ghost town of the abandoned hashima island in Japan
Ok, now this is the definition of terrifying. This island was once a densely populated area but has become a deserted, concrete mess. Back in the late 19th century, the coal mining group, Mitsubishi, started underwater mining. Apartments and other facilities were built for the families of the miners. Eventually, the coal ran out and the mines were closed by 1974. That’s when the residents evacuated, and the island became abandoned.
The one-kilometer corviale social housing block in Rome is a real eyesore
This building is definitely not one you’d want to wake up to see every day. Built back in the 1970s, this weird lengthy social housing block is one-kilometer long, and houses about 6,000 people today. The architect, Mario Fiorentini, originally intended for this enormous structure to serve as a utopian community to help with overcrowding in the city. But the construction company went bankrupt in 1982, halting the project and its future plans. Clearly, things didn’t go as planned.
Whittier, Alaska: the town under one roof
Now, this is pretty wild. If you ever decide to visit the small town of about 219 people in Whittier, Alaska, you will enter through a one-lane tunnel. If that isn’t weird enough, most of the residents live in this one condo, where you can see the whole town from the top floor. This building even has a grocery store and other amenities inside. It’s like you never have to leave. Sound pretty creepy to us.
The nakagin capsule tower in japan looks like stacked washing machines
Yes, these tiny pods are really spaces that people live in. There are 140 cubes stacked on top of each other at different angles. Imagine yourself on the street looking up at this tower and seeing someone standing by their circular window. It would almost look like they’re trapped inside a washing machine. This tower in Japan was built in 1972 and is both for residential and office use.
Ponte city tower: The tallest slum block in Johannesburg
Ok, this seriously looks like the pit of hell. You wouldn’t want to be looking down if you’re scared of heights. This dystopian-looking 55-story tower can be found in Johannesburg and is South Africa’s tallest residential building. It was built back in 1975 to be a prime location in the area. But 1990’s gang crimes didn’t allow for that and the standard of living went down. The building’s hollow center was even said to have so much trash, it had reached the fifth floor.
the buildings of Norilsk, Russia look like a giant maze from a nightmare
We would not want to get lost in this town, that’s for sure. In Norilsk, Russia, the industrial city of around 175,000 people is quite a cold one, where the people have gotten used to the harsh weather. Besides its scary resemblance to a Tetris maze, this town is one of the world’s largest pollution producers. It has also been called, “the most depressing place on earth” and we can imagine why.
A literal train runs through an apartment building daily in Chongqing, China
Who needs an alarm clock when you get the sound of a train waking you up every morning? In this town in China, there’s a 19-story apartment building with a built-in train track. Southeast China is populated, and we mean really populated with 49 million people, so you have to get creative when catering to that many residents. As strange as this is, if you live in this apartment, you’ll definitely save time to your commute to work.
An aerial shot of a suburban housing block in the desert of las vegas, Nevada
This neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada is pretty frightening by its copy-paste of houses. It seems like it would be hard to differentiate between who lives where once you step into this neighborhood. The order here is immaculate, but the boredom in this town seems like it would be at an all-time high. There’s just something about this isolated place that’s giving us very Pleasantville vibes.
El helicoide: the shopping mall turned prison in Venezuela
In the capital of Venezuela, the city of Caracas holds one of the strangest buildings, El Helicoide. It was built in the 1950s with the intention to be the world’s first drive-thru shopping mall but now serves as the headquarters of Venzeulkas intelligence agency, Sebin. It holds criminal and political prisoners alike. This building is a true symbol of Venezuela’s decline.
Macau, China: Poverty right in the center of the world’s richest place
What a contradictory picture. Macau, China is known to be the Las Vegas of the East. It’s the world’s third-richest place with a growing casino industry where gambling makes up 50% of the economy. But Unfortunately, alongside the rich live the very poor. With the opulent Lisboa Casino overshadowing the slums below, the contrast in the photo is so evident, it’s scary.
This hostel in Russia casually in front of a power plant
Let’s be honest, are there really people booking a room at this hostel in Russia? I mean, maybe if you’re desperate. This hostel in Moscow called Zareche is right in front of the Tex-22 powerplant. The eerie hostel with smoke coming out from just behind it is enough for us to pack our bags and run as far away as possible. This is a hard no for us.
Santa Cruz del islote: one of the most crowded islands in the world
The tiny island of Santa Cruz del Islote on the Caribbean coast of Colombia is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It’s about the size of two soccer fields, just to give you some perspective on how small this place is. There are about 45 families living in 97 houses, creating a very confined environment. The waters surrounding it are filled with fish below, but other foods and household goods have to be shipped there by boat.
This highway in china merges from 50 lanes to 4
The G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau expressway is actually a 50-lane highway in China. What’s more surprising is that this highway is usually a 4-lane highway, but gets bigger to fit 50 cars right before it reaches a toll gate. We can’t imagine trying to get home after a long day of work on this highway. If there was ever a traffic jam on this expressway, we’ll just walk home, thank you very much.
Iran’s ghost towers look like part of a city on mars
If we walked into this town in Iran, we can imagine feeling pretty out of place, and on a different planet even. These buildings just seem so out of place and almost as if they came out of nowhere. There is no other surrounding vegetation, no signs of life, just concrete buildings. What was supposed to be a well-developed community turned out to be the opposite. Seems like things will remain under construction. Can you say creepy?
The Margate town in the United Kingdom doesn’t seem like a dreamland
These high-rise apartments pictured in Margate, United Kingdom look dreary and depressing. But what’s comical is the sign positioned in front of it. “Dreamland” is the last name we’d give this town. Dreamland is actually an amusement and entertainment park, but there is nothing entertaining about its placement in this town. Location sure is everything.
The nlb bank in Bosnia looks like it came out of a black mirror episode
Have you ever seen a scarier-looking bank in your life? Would you trust keeping your savings in a building like this? Its post-apocalyptic exterior makes it hard to even describe. The shape is pretty confusing and leaves us wondering where the windows are. We can spot a few but definitely not enough to get your daily dose of vitamin D.
These concrete apartments in Russia double as literal walls
Wait, what? Are these apartment buildings or walls to keep enemies out? These blocks really look like walls when you view them from afar, it can make anyone confused. In the far east of Russia, these huge apartment blocks in the city of Vladivostok just look so empty and sad with the lack of greenery and plants around them. Never mind the fact that they look exactly the same.
Jakarta, Indonesia has a river flowing through its densely populated town
There is so much about this picture that is wrong. Half of Jakarta is actually made up of slums, where inflation is on the rise. We aren’t sure if this color is the result of mud or debris, but it’s creeping us out either way. The houses here are so tightly packed and the river that flows through the town of Jakarta is brown. Life can be very difficult when freshwater isn’t easily available. Kinda makes us feel grateful for what we do have.
the crossmaglen police station in Northern Ireland in 1999 looked like a fortress
We’re not quite sure what’s going on here, but things sure looked different back in the ’90s. This police station in Northern Ireland was heavily fortified and looks like it’s trapped in its own jail. Hopefully, this fortress gave police officers some peace of mind from the outside world of villains and criminals. On one hand, you’re keeping the bad guys out, but on the other, it also feels like you’re shut-in. In no way is this a place we’d go to work every day.
The parking lot surrounding dodgers stadium in California is a structural disaster
We all know the exciting feeling you get when you get ready to watch one of your favorite teams play. You aren’t watching the game on your television, but you get to witness the players in person. It’s exhilarating. But imagine trying to find parking at this stadium, and once you finally do, walking what seems like forever to the game. Let’s not forget trying to find your parking spot on the way back. Just an overall disaster.
This jam-packed street in Lagos, Nigeria looks like an accident waiting to happen
Sitting in this kind of traffic seems like it would be the most infuriating situation for just about anyone. The anxiety we get just by looking at this is through the roof. Imagine the stress. Have a job interview? Need to get home in time to cook dinner? A date maybe? Tell them you’ll be a few hours late because these streets look like you’ll be there for quite some time.
These Hong Kong apartment buildings could double as tacky wallpaper
Thinking of living in Hong Kong. You may want to give it some second thought. The sheer height of these apartment buildings is terrifying. Its light pink and orange exterior were clearly not well thought out colors by those building these monsters. I mean, where do they end and where do they begin. Living in an apartment building that seems like it goes on forever, that also happens to be identical to the next one, would make us lose our minds.
Metro Manila, Philippines is too crowded for words
Calling Metropolitan Manila crowded is an understatement. This place is so populated, we’re talking about 13 million people. Try to wrap that number around your head. Everything is way too close together, way too cramped, and seems like one of the worst places to live if you are someone that likes open spaces and more air to breathe.
This is an actual pothole that can be found in Guatemala
Do you want to be scared? Go to this Guatemalan town and just see the pothole that was created right in the middle of this place. It almost seems like it could be sidewalk art from very skilled artists but this pothole is very much real. It was created by fluid from a sewer that was producing volcanic ash and other deposits, which eventually caused its collapse. Doesn’t get much worse than that.
This is a handwashing laundry business in Mumbai
This slum in Mumbai also happens to be a running handwashing laundry business. This picture just has so much going on, it’s hard to focus on one thing alone. There are poverty, business, and warehouses, and clothes all in one image. This large-scale laundry area has been in business for many many years. Definitely not the kind of laundry we’re used to.
‘Coffin cubes’ create a very boxed-in life for these residents in Hong Kong
If you think you’re apartment is small, just look at these coffin cubicles in Hong Kong. The housing market in Hong Kong has become increasingly expensive, forcing tens of thousands of people to move into these suffocating cubicles. These minuscule rooms are very cramped and oftentimes, these buildings housed six times the number of people they were intended for.
This apartment complex in china looks like an urban pyramid
When we think of pyramids, usually Egypt comes to mine, right? Well, in China you can find pyramids, urban pyramids, that is. From the outside, it looks pretty cool and interesting with its box-like structure but not sure if we’d actually want to live there. When you think about it, it’s almost like a really ironic metaphor of human society. Everything is the same and there are no plants or greenery. Looks a bit boring to us.
The apartments in Tbilisi, Georgia look like the perfect setup for a zombie apocalypse
These have got to be some of the ugliest apartment buildings we have ever seen. The color, the setting, the lack of any sign of life would make anyone run as far away as possible. It makes us wonder what life is like here in Tbilisi, Georgia. Just concrete blocks that make up apartment buildings are really the only way to describe these weird, rectangular shapes.
This weird neighborhood in Copenhagen, Denmark where all the houses look the same
This is just creepy on so many levels. This neighborhood in Copenhagen definitely has an eerie feel to it with its oddly similar houses and their side-by-side placement. It seems so densely populated and almost looks like each row of homes is one house. We cant put our finger on it, but the picture-perfect neighborhood this photo gives off is making us feel a little uneasy.
Some of the densest apartments can be found on the streets of Hong Kong
We don’t know about you, but we would not be able to live in such a dense and overpopulated place. If this isn’t a dystopia, we don’t know what is. In a way, this photo doesn’t even look real but appears to be more like a stress dream. What’s scarier than this? The price for one of these apartments is about $1,300. No thanks.
The Beirut port contains graffiti from protestors with a clear message
At the Beirut, Lebanon port, you will find nothing but debris and the leftovers from protests. “My government did this” is a strong message from the people if we’ve ever heard one. After a massive port explosion, protestors took to the streets to fight against their government’s corruption and negligence for their country’s people. There is so much wrong here, it’s hard to fully grasp it all.
The Amazon warehouse in Mexico is surrounded by crumbling houses
Ok, this one photo alone shows what the problem with our society is. This large and in charge Amazon facility in Tijuana, Mexico is surrounded by run-down shacks. I mean, does this scream capitalism, or what? It’s a shocking image, to say the least. Although Amazon’s expansion around the world helps to create more jobs, many workers claim excessive overtime and subcontracted labor. An overall bad situation.
The apartments in Dhaka, Bangladesh look like personal jail cells
Just no. This looks like the most unpleasant place to live. It seems like people just throw their trash over their balconies without any remorse or care in the world. Sure, just pollute the planet even more. Not to mention, the jail cell structure of these things. We get it, maybe these bars help to keep out burglaries, we just can’t picture ourselves living in a place like this.
Getting out of this traffic jam in Hanoi, Vietnam seems virtually impossible
People, just drive. We can hear the blares of a million horns just by looking at this photo. This traffic circle seems so stressful, you won’t find us driving through it. It looks like everyone is attending a meeting in the center of the road. The congestion of this traffic jam in Hanoi, Vietnam may have the construction workers rethinking everything. We would definitely be taking side roads after seeing this.
Cleveland, Ohio in the 1970s: a health scare waiting to happen
The fumes seen in this photo are already making us cough. We know about the implications of pollution today. It’s bad, like really bad. So you might think that back in the day, things may have been better, a bit clearer. But Cleveland in the ’70s shows otherwise. This street pictured with fumes out the wazoo is seriously scary. Just proves that things were already pretty bad back then.
This upside-down concrete pyramid is the Slovak radio building in Bratislava
Well, this for sure isn’t something you see every day. The Slovak Radio Building opened in the late 80s and was under construction for more than ten years. We just have so many questions. Why an upside-down pyramid? Why the lack of colors? Why so bleak and cold looking? We may never get the answers, but this strange structure looks like it belongs in a Stranger Things episode.
Kowloon walled city in China was once known as the most crowded place in the world
The claustrophobia is at an all-time high right about now. Although non-inhabited anymore, this walled city once had 50,000 people living there before its destruction in the 90s. There were 300 connected high-rise buildings that had been built without Hong Kong’s health and safety regulations in mind. It’s no wonder this was no longer a sustainable place to live anymore.
this village in Masuleh, Iran have roofs that double as streets
Have you ever seen anything quite like this? Neither have we. The small village in Masuleh, Iran is very unique in the way that they use their roofs as streets. The thought of an earthquake hitting this place, or frankly, even some wind, is terrifying. The poorly built huts and lack of structure are a disaster waiting to happen. It almost looks like a page ripped out of a Where’s Waldo book.
The garbage city in the slums of Cairo is a sight to see
The amount of trash in this Cairo slum is a catastrophe. Can you imagine the smell? If you lived here, be sure to keep your windows shut at all times. It’s a pretty awful sight to see. People’s lack of respect for the planet is really evident here. This is giving us very much Wall-E vibes. If that adorable robot was here, we know he’d be making hundreds and hundreds of neat boxes of garbage.
Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada is an actual housing complex
Let’s be honest for a second. Habitat 67 sounds like a squad from Hunger Games and not apartment complexes in Montreal Canada. This community was built by an Israeli- Canadian named Moshe Safdie with the intention of building high-quality housing in populated urban places. We aren’t so sure about this one. The futuristic architecture and clean-cut lines seem a bit spooky to us.
Chongqing, China: a city overtaken by urban development
The number of buildings, their size, the wires, how tiny the people look. This photo screams dystopia. Everyone is so focused on building and advancing, but at the end of the day, is it all really necessary if the world we live in ends up looking like this? There is just industrialization. There is little to no color in this city. It seems like a pretty depressing place.
aERIAL SHOT OF LAND USE IN FLORIDA LOOKS LIKE A COMPLICATED VIDEO GAME
Florida is great. There is nothing like its beaches, sun, and restaurants. But this photo may change your opinion. The houses are so jammed-packed together so they can all rest on the waterfront. It seems nice, but the land waste is huge. This is a standard suburb that will probably continue to need expansion through more highways, more houses, and eventually, space might be very minimal.
don’t be fooled: the colorful city of Jalousie is one of Haiti’s biggest slums
Sure, some of these homes might be brightly painted, but hiding underneath is a big secret. The town of Jalousie is one of Haiti’s biggest slums with low levels of sanitation and a lack of running water and electricity. There are about 80,000 people that live there. Many people came to this city after the earthquake in Haiti back in 2010, which led to this town becoming extremely crowded.
Juhu beach in Mumbai, India is a wasteland
Well, this certainly is not our ideal beach day. The Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India is so populated with trash, we could cry. Heavy rains pushed garbage up to the shore, and there is so much garbage here, it is one of India’s most polluted beaches. It honestly doesn’t even look like a beach anymore, but rather a very large garbage dump.
This building in Genoa, Italy closely resembles a washing machine
Imagine if these were real washing machines how quick you’d get your laundry done. But these are in fact not washing machines, but rather a housing complex. This complex is nicknamed ‘the washing machine’ for good reason. This does not look like an appealing place to live. It was built in the 80s with a cheap building plan in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We think it’s time to go.
This is what overpopulation in Karachi, Pakistan looks like
Haven’t we learned anything? Even a bit of greenery would make this a little bit better, but unfortunately, there is none. The color of this city and everything that surrounds it is literally just brown. Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan, so it makes sense it’s so packed together. It is expected to be the seventh-largest city in the whole world by 2030. That’s got to be a whole lot of people, and we will not be moving there.
This menacing looking building in New York City has no windows
What exactly is going on here? We have so many questions, our first one being, what’s up with the lack of windows? What could possibly be going on inside? People from the outside are prevented from seeing what’s happening in the building, and those on the inside are most definitely not getting enough sunlight. Looks like it came straight out of Gotham city. Creepy stuff.