The development of the modern world continues to progress at a rapid pace across the globe. There are few areas left that have been untouched by construction, and the ones that have been continue to be built upon again and again.
Though we're meant to see this as a good thing, a shift in perspective can show harrowing the way we live is. These photos help share that perspective, displaying the type of urban hell being built.
As people pointed out, this was clearly built to give dogs a spot to do their business on, but it's still so bizarre to construct it like this. Calling it a 'park' is an insult to both dogs and their owners.
Many in the comments pointed out how these buildings would be gorgeous if they were maintained. It's just a shame that so many cities let beautiful lots fall to the wayside and decay like this, not only ruining the buildings, but the housing opportunities too.
One thing people who capture these photos focus on a lot is 'car culture' or the way the modern world is being built for cars rather than people. While this photo is relatively normal, the ever-expanding nature of freeways destroys a lot of local ecosystems, only to give this view in return.
Of course, car culture is even worse in some areas, where the city planning went awry and now the streets are unwelcome to any type of commuter.
This type of gridlock leaves me feeling stressed just looking at it, let alone being in it.
Tourism isn't bad within itself, visiting other countries is a great joy, but it has absolutely contributed to the destruction of some communities for locals and gives them no room to live freely in their own country.
It's not only ecosystems and natural spaces being destroyed by freeways, but homes and communities. Pushing the people who make up a city out of it entirely is not only disrespectful, but stressful for those being displaced.
These sorts of designs, ones the prevent homeless people from having a place to rest or take shelter, are what's known as 'hostile architecture'. Once you're made aware of it, you start to see it more and more in your own city.
There are many statistics that float around about this factory-packed city regarding the air quality and the health of its citizens, namely its children. It's believed that only about a third of the children born here are born in good health, making it dangerous for growing families.
This is not only a sad excuse for a playground, but it's also incredibly eerie. No child would want to play in a box full of dead grass and one rocking horse, but surely if they wanted the space to be used as a real park, they'd add more to encourage it.
Someone in the comments did point out that the 'smoke' coming from those stacks isn't actually smoke, it's water vapor, and the stacks are designed to actually help in carrying some exhaust away from nearby cities. That does help to make this particular photo less awful, but the imagery is still a little eerie.
There's something about rows and rows of samey, giant apartment buildings that feels like the most depressing type of architecture for a city to have. The purpose is fine, people need somewhere to live, I just wish there were ways of incorporating more greenery into the area. It'd surely improve the scenery for the people who live there, too.
Packed streets and nearly packed lots remind us all that no place in a city is untouched by the rule of personal vehicles. Even public transit has to struggle to compete.
The stark difference between the midground and the background of this photo really cements how much developments like this impact surrounding communities, and how much those developments simply don't care about said impacts.
As someone noted in the comments, the use of 'semi-dry' means that there is still water flowing through, or perhaps sitting in, this packed canal of garbage. A wet river of trash sitting in the heat day in and day out.
Not only was it a general green space destroyed for more suburban developments, but it was green space that also helped the local economy, gone and replaced with something that will never give the same type of love back to its community.
Of course, not every antiquated building can be refurbished and completely saved, but that doesn't mean it deserves to be buried in something that looks like it will become an apartment complex or a hotel. The past deserves to be honored respectfully, and this is the opposite of respect.
Someone in the comments explained how this 'playground' likely came to be, "Regulations in Poland says that if there is two or more buildings on site there need to be a fenced playground.
But there is no regulations how big it should be and how it should look, other than to be in sunlight for al least three hours and have a place to sit. This is a loophole in polish law, there were dozens of playgrounds like this in recent years."
Another traffic photo that makes my heart rate spike just looking at it. How anyone manages to get anywhere without it taking hours is beyond me. Maybe they don't, actually, they just have to do it because how else are they meant to get places?
Building for cars is bad, but building for cars and then not letting cars use what you built is even worse. Now there's just a block of concrete with no purpose that will be an eyesore and a space-waster until they inevitably build on top of it.
These photos are potentially the most heartbreaking. In the visible distance, there are empty units that could be turned into affordable housing, shelters, or free housing, but greed always overtakes the desire to help others.
