188206
7111
111
1: Berlin, Germany.
2: Istanbul, Turkey
3: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4: Los Angeles, USA
5: Macau, China
6: Long Beach, USA
7: Sydney, Australia
8: Toronto, Canada
9: Singapore, Singapore
10: New York, USA
11: London, England
12: Dubai, UAE
13: Abu Dhabi, UAE
14: Chicago, USA
15: Melbourne, Australia
16: Shanghai, China
17: Shenzen, China
18: San Francisco, USA
19: Fortaleza, Brazil
20: Tokyo, Japan
dzidalbn
Don't have Hiroshima but Warsaw is just in point
DontNeedAWeatherManToKnowWhichWayTheWindBlows
My wife was born in Macua, in 1968. When she goes back, she hardly recognizes the place.
shirtpants12
Fortaleza, Brazil looks enormous and I've never heard of the place before today
TheOnceBitterNowAffable
Huge city (~2.5 million inhabitants) with very nice beaches and welcoming people, but pretty violent too (5 homicides / day).
Papakeecha
Detroits would be backwards
xXDrSmilesXx
Why did Constantinople get the works?
six2midnight
That's nobody's business but the Turks.
JustAnotherImgurAsshole
The new SimCity looks very realistic.
Ninoue
Especially in Shangaï
jugRn0t
#2 was once Constantinople
thebeesaredyingatanalarmingrate
Even old #10 was once New Amsterdam
VoPo
This is fucking rad as fuck. I'm curious though, are there examples of the opposite? Cities thriving and then either abandoned or destroyed?
six2midnight
Philadelphia?
PotzBlitz
Detroit :)
Doomdspair
You probably wouldn't be able to tell from aerial photographs like these. Buildings would still be there. You'd need closeups
SexiasMaximus
Was waiting for Hiroshima...
JabbaThePizzaHutt
Hah! You're a blast
TuggSpeedmann
These jokes are on fire
JohnnyLawlessEsq
The Google Earth program has a feature that lets you look at old aerial photos of some cities. The differences are remarkable. (1/*)
JohnnyLawlessEsq
San Francisco back when the Embarcadero was a working waterfront, or Chicago back when it still had the railroad livestock yards.
armeggedonCounselor
I entertained myself by trying to figure out how the camera angles and distance have moved between pictures.
Corki
yeah that part annoyed me more than it should have . i was trying to see if any of the buildings stayed... and it fucked w me so much.
GavinScreaming
NYC is cool because that fairly big, oddly shaped building on the bottom right in the first pic now looks so tiny
TigerSauce
The "Now" picture for NYC is the best we could get?
wellwhynot
Honestly as I was scrolling down I thought it was going to end with NYC pre-9/11 and post-9/11, so all in all I was pleasantly surprised.
cuteandcuddly
I actually preferred the waterfront of the older NYC. Look at those lovely piers.
Swatkat69
I can't believe Houston, TX wasn't shown in this. It's transformation from the 50s to right now is way better than San Francisco.
Doomdspair
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcDAgtfUYAAer_c.jpg
Swatkat69
It's beautiful!
TehRedPill
I was going to make the same point!
ForeverDonutsWillNeverExist
Long Beach! I can almost see my apartment from there!!
swagjelly
Where is philadelphia? The city had a huge skyline change in the 1980s after they finally built above city hall
wheresthetoaster
Why is Tokyo so fla........oooooooohhh!
shirtpants12
Looks like all they've done to Istanbul is turn the lights on
Dayrest
I'd like to see what the axis cities looked like before ww2 as compared to now.
johnefffd
have a look to wikipedia, f.e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colognelogne">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne> or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt#History
AridDay
SlashyFace
London needs to clean their water
angusprune
The Thames is actually the cleanest urban river in the world.
whyteraven74
The Thames is a tidal estuary and as such can at times have a lot of sediment.
leleary
What about Hiroshima?
nosyelk
This is cool. This is why I come here and waste entire days on Imgur.
thegarlicawakens
This is a repost.
ThatMomentWhenImgurJokesAreOnlyFunnyToImgurians
This is a repost. This is why I know I spend way too much time here on Imgur.
Isitallreallysobad
RyanBall1
Shit.. Where was that taken?
Isitallreallysobad
Syria. Before and after bombing.
0bzilla
The L.A. one is bad. BW photo is of a housing development that still stands (I lived there) called Park La brea, nowhere near downtown.
samsonguy920
You only need to look in the background to tell.
fusto33
Was going to say the same thing.
fusto33
And i also lived in PLB
boostcreep
I look for this comment every time this gets reposted. (Which is like once a week) +1
0bzilla
My first catch! Never seen the collection before, but a few of the singles for sure.
kanemano
La Brea? that place is the pits
amoeba15
notme222
Yeah. I don't know LA, but even I could tell the pictures were from very different perspectives.
wintermorning
I live in Whittier! Where are you now?
iluvbunbuns
Not the person you are replying to but lived in Whittier for 10 years. Worked at Whittier Pres, now PIH.
0bzilla
London, England. So, not exactly in the area anymore. So many things to miss about L.A. though.
imtheimgur
Istanbul, fairly unchanged in 100 years. Dubai, completely different in 11 years.
AnatolianTiger
As a Turk i wish you were right, but Istanbul changed mostly concrete dump but still, i think its the most gorgeous city at above.
craptheressomethingoutthere
Granted, Istanbul has a ~2600 year head start on Dubai
vanbarbee
One is a historic crossroads between east and west, the other was a fishing village near a choke-point for oil transport.
EmotionalKnitting
I'm fairly sure Istanbul just installed better lighting.
DrumpfDonald
Istanbul only has expanded, there are also skyscrapers. But the area of the picture remained unchanged.
YouWinTheInternetToday
Old pic of Toronto. You can't really see the. Some from the lake anymore thanks to all of the overpriced condos.
YouWinTheInternetToday
*the dome Stupid autocorrect
TheAdventuresofStealy
What just unfolded in the Dome was glorious.
YouWinTheInternetToday
It's been done before... ;)
ReleaseTheBeeees
The Thames is such a shit river. Like, it rivers quite well, but it dunt half smell in places
johnnyw80
The Thames is absolutely lovely where I live in Berkshire.
filedunderHforToy
It's nothing compared to the Ankh.
LemonG34R
Don't trust that picture, I'm a Londoner, the Thames is almost always blue/teal - not like that diarrhoea.
Aerolfoz
Having been there just last year, it was indeed blue.
jeandolly
They had this one summer in London which they called "the big stink". Had to move parliament because of it.
GuardsmanMiku
to be fair that was like over a century ago, and after which they got their shit together so good it became the cleanest river in a city
jeandolly
They did get their shit together didn't they :-) ( and over a hill if I recall ). I still would not drink it though.
ChrisEveritt
I live at the mouth of the thames estuary (southend) and its nasty green water, pure filth. Even worse in London.
LemonG34R
Are you joking? I live in London and the Thames is never fucking brown like that shit, it's always blue or teal.
DependingOnTheStreet
I live in Barnes, about 100m from the Thames, definitely brown....
ChrisEveritt
The treat certain parts of the thames, please visit Southend and see for yourself. I was in London recently and I have photos of brown water
LemonG34R
In the post the picture was around Tower Bridge, and brown. Surely they would treat that area.
giantbluemarble
"Like, it rivers quite well" is my favorite sentence ever from now on." and i saw just a small part of it but oh! how i fell in love.
AuroraNora33
Yo wassup with that extra quotation mark?
APersonWhoUsesImgur
It makes me a little uncomfortable
giantbluemarble
rogue warrior-be on the lookout for the excitement sticks!!!!!! damn. missed them again.
JRedBear
Crazy how nature do that.
nope6699
Nature you scary!
BugEyedLemur
That's what happens when you plant coins, buildings grow.
AstuteObservationsOfAnADDKid
Hello from the future. Is it just me, or in Istanbul did the tower get girthier
GreatOdensWhiskers
Shit Tokyo... Slow ya damn roll.....
Sauroctonus
I think the area we usually refer to as Tokyo is actually several cities that merged together with Tokyo. I could be wrong, though.
TheBitchingOrk
Correct, Tokyo is made up of 23 municipalities, each with their own ward-governments - but they are lead by a single metropolitan-governor.
GreatOdensWhiskers
Well probably. It's much like Chicago. No one ever says, "Oh yeah I'm from Elgin Illinois"
LieselSkywalker
Dubai's development is strangely impressive considering the short time period.
ChadAnding
9/11
ChadAnding
Arab version of a Swiss bank
Selerox
Dubai is what happens in Sim City when you blow all your money right at the start. Can't wait for it to come crashing down.
bvtthole
Sometimes Imgur comments are just so shit and pointless you have to sit back and wonder why something thought it was a good idea to post it.
vanbarbee
In fairness that used to be the outskirts of Dubai. The city still existed with some already impressive skyline, even a decade before Burj
StarrrryNight
Might as well be a picture of the Pyramids. Amazing what slave labour can do.
Quintistthedentist
That's what Indian and Pakistan slaves can do
[deleted]
[deleted]
StarrrryNight
So, yes, they are forced to go there if they have no other options. Not having any other option is the definition of being forced.
RobQuinn
Yeah it's not like they are forced, they just have no other options....
[deleted]
[deleted]
anubisfike
The Mexican workers are there of their own volition and can leave should they wish to do so. Foreign labour in Arabia mostly cannot.
RobQuinn
No I consider them criminals and don't give a shit what they are paid
Chryos
It's somewhat less impressive when you dig and realize it's built on literal slave labor.
Bambadjan
Same as in India, China, South East Asia, Africa, Latin America... get out of your cocoon, the world is a much harsher place than you think.
anubisfike
Get your head out of your ass and have some compassion for desperate people being being taken advantage of. 2/2
rando84
The conditions are pretty inexcusable for such a wealthy society.
anubisfike
What is that supposed to mean? Because things are bad in many places that's justification enough for things to remain bad? 1/2
Bambadjan
Also it's not "literal" slave labor. Yes it's shitty salaries compared to the west (200-300$ per month), but it's better than they can (1/2)
Bambadjan
currently get back in their home country. Also the laws now are very strict and favor the laborers. (Source: been living here for 10 years)
Superstzday
You're either a fucking moron or a local. Those poor bastards are catfished all the way through.
[deleted]
[deleted]
anubisfike
Being worked to death with no way to escape due to your passport being stolen is a step up from literal slavery, sure, but not by a lot. 1/2
ICantThinkOfAU
uncommon practice only a couple of years ago, though I've not read into it in a few years now so the situation could have improved by now2/2
ICantThinkOfAU
What about the employers that withold passports of workers? I know it's illegal in the UAE for them to do that, but it wasn't exactly an 1/2
anubisfike
It's not about wages but by how they live and work. North Korean export labour have better conditions than foreign workers in Arabia. 2/2
Bambadjan
And they're not half done yet... been living here for 10 years...
ILikeCockyEngineersAndICannotLie
Have you learned to solemnly despise the spawn of rich oil hoarders?
Bambadjan
Dubai has barely any oil but rather natural gas. That's why they invest so aggressively in infrastructure planning for when the gas runs out
[deleted]
[deleted]
TuggSpeedmann
Lots of oil money will do that
BrokenSpork
and expendable slave labor
sda7
"Paid workers"
KOTU35
I was going to mention it if nobody else did - all those towers were built by actual slaves
sda7
Here we go again ! Dubai has NO Oil !
grabthembythepussy
Their cousins in Abu dhabi have plenty
sda7
A message for all the haters here:
blacktarmac
They used oil money to fund most of the foundation that is Dubai today, get your facts straight.
sda7
no , u r wrong
fudgesickle
That's what a lot of money & planning can do.
Chryos
Don't forget the slaves.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Chryos
There have been many more investigations beyond the VICE piece, and they don't find happy workers, generally speaking.
[deleted]
[deleted]
six2midnight
In all fairness, Tokyo looked like that in 1945 because 80% of the city burned down from US-dropped napalm.
OverpricedCrayon
Ya dont say
YewTube
So what you're saying is that the US should bomb more cities so they can look better years later
sloshythomas
nopo
Similar thing with San Francisco after the 1906 quake and fire. Most of the city was flattened.
cuteandcuddly
Thanks, Obama.
stePUPyogame
'Merica
imnotryan
Thus the "rebuild" in the title. Several cities on the list are destroyed.
kapp70
I was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 1990, trust me, those pictures are not representative of then, let alone 2000. They were big cities.
Koshunae
I was wondering why the 2000 photo was black and white.
teamsleeper
Same for San Francisco. But after the big fire. Not bomb. Obviously
IAmTheBadW01f
It truly is a flaming city
Totallyscrewedinaustin
It was a victim of the ultimate shake n bake
teamsleeper
Dorsk84
Forced urban renewal...I'm a horrible person...actually Japanese student I want to college with said that...I laughed really hard at it.
PubicOvergrowth
I want to college with said that too, friend, with said that too
puddinweasel
Said that samurai sushi godzilla college, number 1
TheBelcherKids
They started it.
Rasdwatrium
"Let's isolate this proud country to no end. What could go wr- WHAT DO YOU MEAN PEARL HARBOR IS UNDER ATTACK?"
keppay
How far back into history are we willing to go?
Wuddel
Yeah, especially those civillian women and children.
amoeba15
Berlin was a result of WWII bombings as well. A contrast between East and West Berlin in the 70s or 80s vs now would've been better.
tallquasi
Dresden got at least as bad. I met an Austrian woman who spoke to a university history class about ten years ago. She was brought there 1/3
tallquasi
to work in a factory, crowded into a bomb shelter for the last big bombing raid, and had all of her hair burned off by heat and flames 2/3
tallquasi
that still found their way into the shelter. She pretended to be a boy for the walk back to Austria to avoid rape by occupation forces. 3/3
Rasdwatrium
Berlin however wasn't built out of 95% wood..
[deleted]
[deleted]
Rasdwatrium
Was talking about the grade of destruction.
[deleted]
[deleted]
firefighter26
I would think it would like that satellite photo of North and South Korea.
anubisfike
Of course it wasn't as developed as West Germany at the time of unification, there are still differences. Just not like N. & S. Korea. 2/2
anubisfike
East Germany wasn't as bad off as you might think. It was probably the most successful purely communist state in history. 1/2
graygrif
Through satellite images, you can see the divide between East and West Germany https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/status/324638635766980608
firefighter26
Oh yeah, I remember reading something about how the difference in light bulb technology made the difference visible from space.
aPokal
Part of the planned obsolescence the west had (hooray capitalism) and the resource shortage of the east (hooray communism).