With the ever growing world population, people choose to urbanize their lives
and move to big cities in search of better opportunities.
This actually brings the local authorities under pressure to increase the rate
of infrastructural advancements, creating concrete jungles at the cost of open
public spaces like parks, and destroying the design
and layout of the city from the horrible traffic congestion in Jakarta
to the puzzling streets of Missoula and the USA and the eye
opening structural mistakes of Sao Paolo to poor road quality of New Orleans.
Here are the 15 most poorly designed cities of the world.
Number 15. Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jakarta is not only the capital of Indonesia,
but also a prominent cultural and political hub.
Unfortunately, due to the rising sea level, it is estimated that one
third of the capital is susceptible to becoming sea submerged.
By the year 2050.
On top of that, Jakarta is a busy, bustling and crowded city
of nearly 10 million, where people are facing major issues
of heavy traffic due to high population growth.
Since it is also a famous tourist spot, locals and tourists
spend hours and hours just being stuck in traffic jams.
This overcrowding and pollution have forced Indonesia to think
about shifting its capital to another, more well-designed and sustainable city.
Number 14 Boston, USA.
This city offers great sightseeing opportunities, family activities
and good quality of life.
But the other side of the picture shows it is also a city
that's pretty hard to navigate.
Although the conventional explanation for Boston's haphazard street layout
is that the roads were built on top of meandering cow trails,
the fact is that they were simply not planned out according to a design
due to these winding streets.
The geography of Boston is declared poorly designed
number 13. Dubai, UAE,
Dubai has over 200 nationalities,
making it a flourishing metropolis.
And the UAE is one of the most stable economies in the world.
But surprisingly enough, it is added to our list of poorly designed cities.
The need for a public squares and open spaces is gradually increasing,
making it socio cultural entities suffer.
Lives are running like clockwork, and people over there
miss out on spending time in open green spaces for mental well-being.
The only places people can hang out are gigantic shopping centers
and luxurious restaurants.
Well, the architectural feats that the city of Dubai offers
are truly spectacular.
The lack of cohesive infrastructure is making its inhabitants tiresome
and longing for places of relaxation and natural beauty.
Number 12, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Atlanta is the most populous city in the state of Georgia.
It has a distinguished history
as a major transportation hub and an industrial center.
However, it is regarded as the worst city in the U.S.
to travel by public transit system.
The mass transit system in the city truly needs to be upgraded to meet
the requirements of its residents.
On average, it takes almost an hour if one uses the Metro system,
leaving only 10% of the people willing to use it.
There is a dire need for expansion and modernization of the transport system here
so that people don't waste their precious hours during their day to day commute.
Number 11, Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
Naypyidaw is a city
divided into different zones like residential, military, shopping, etc.
It has wide, multi-lane roads and vast highways.
But this city does not seem to have enough people living there,
and sometimes it is considered an abandoned city.
Official figures suggest around 6 million people here.
But the reality seems to defy this figure completely.
The unfinished construction project of this city
could be the reason for this emptiness.
Based on these facts, it won't be wrong to call it a ghost town.
Number ten, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
It is the country's vibrant financial center, having a huge population
This city also faces similar urbanization problems, like traffic congestion
and pollution.
To facilitate the travelers, the authorities laid the busiest highway
across its busiest neighborhood.
This highway essentially replaced
the population who lived there, which was a mere craziness.
Something even wilder is that the city of Sao Paulo
has found a unique way to avoid the traffic jams
in the form of flying helicopters serving as taxis.
But only the rich can afford this mode of transportation.
Also, the infrastructure in the city is collapsing.
Shouting for maintenance and upgrading.
Number nine, Missoula, Montana, USA.
In the 1800s, the city of Missoula was planned by two city planners
who just didn't see the actual approach of their plans.
The local authorities refused their plan and surrounded their street layout
with a grid that resulted in completely upsetting the city's infrastructure.
As they say to cook, spoil the broth here.
The disagreement between the developers resulted
in a confusing neighborhood in Missoula called the Slat Street neighborhood
popularly known as Malfunction Junction by the locals.
The aerial view of this particular place looks quite bizarre to the eye
as it is at a 45 degree angle to the rest of the town's streets.
A few years ago, a Baltimore photographer tweeted an overhead
shot of this area that caused quite a discussion on Twitter.
Present day Missoula is full of confusing intersections and street layouts,
making it very difficult to navigate the city.
Number eight, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Dhaka is also a city that has fallen victim to high population
growth and the decline of infrastructural modernization.
You can't take a trip around the city without getting
bumped into by some vehicle because it's so congested on the streets.
Only 60 of the city's important intersections offer
traffic signals, many of which are actually faulty.
While on the remaining areas, you rely on your collision avoiding ability.
Such problems have made Dhaka a dysfunctional mega city,
where overpopulation and lack of resources have made life stressful and unhealthy.
Roads in Dhaka are also very narrow, and with the ever increasing
number of vehicles, it has become highly problematic to drive decently.
People are suggested not to drive in the evening to avoid traffic jams.
Number seven, El Salvador Brazil.
Like Sao Paulo, this major city of Brazil finds itself fighting against similar
big city problems.
The urban planning of this city and road conditions are disastrous.
Driving at night becomes quite hazardous because the roads are not well-lit.
Lit vehicles in Sao Paulo also lack basic safety, lighting and reflectors.
The condition of public transport is also noteworthy
as they are not well-maintained.
Increasing the chances of unfortunate accidents.
The traffic law enforcement is also incompetent.
Making a drivers experience awful.
Number six, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
New Orleans is a vulnerable city because it often faces disastrous storms.
The levees system that is supposed to safeguard the city from storm surges
got crippled when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005 like Jakarta.
New Orleans is also sinking gradually due to global warming and rising sea levels.
This city is also built on alluvial soil.
Nearly two thirds of the city's roads are in poor condition,
as low maintenance of the roads
has caused potholes to form in many places along the streets of New Orleans.
Number five, Brasilia, Brazil.
While the rest of the cities on our list lack enough design
Brasilia has too much of it.
It was built as an ideal city to bring progress into internal Brazil.
This city feels like a utopian city with too many artificial elements
But this utopian thought
failed miserably when the city faced unexpected population growth.
The construction of this city produced a debt of $2 billion,
and it all went in vain because the design wasn't serving its purpose.
Critics also say that this city relies too much on its highways and wide streets,
rather than on pathways for pedestrians and bike riders.
Number four. Bangkok, Thailand.
Bangkok is one of the most prominent, thriving cities in the world,
where people get more and better opportunities for their bread and butter.
Higher salaries better social services and opportunities.
As with every other city, this urban growth comes at a cost.
If we put it in simple words, Bangkok cannot afford the burden of an ever
growing demand on its limited existing system of roads.
The higher numbers of factories increases the pollution beyond expectations
built on land suited for rice farming.
This mega city had to serve as a center of economic activities.
There is no coherence here.
Residential houses
and commercial buildings are all built together, giving fantastic views
People have no choice other than to accept what it is
and lead their lives in a manic filled environment full of infrastructural
and environmental issues.
Number three, Istanbul, Turkey The city of Istanbul was established
in 3000 and has always been a world center for culture and education.
Due to its capital position in the Ottoman Empire today,
when we think of Istanbul, only people and lack of space come to mind.
Istanbul faces increasing motorization and pollution.
Its population is increasing at a rate of 3.4 or 5%,
where many of its new inhabitants are not so well skilled
and can't afford a better lifestyle.
The number of cars here is increasing exponentially, and surprisingly,
there is hardly a street where you don't see a car blocking the way
pedestrians have to make their way around cars parked in a zigzag manner.
Thus, the place as beautiful architecture is always clouded
by the number of people and vehicles alike.
Number two, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This is the third Brazilian city on our list here.
It is Brazil's largest city, having most of the country's population.
It attracts tourists
from all over the world because of its colorful and vibrant vibe.
New settlers are building houses at their will without proper documentation.
And or approval, causing a distorted landscape picture.
There are just too many people for the available accommodation.
The rivers that flow across the city were declared dead by scientists
because of the number of pollutants and sewage waste dumped into them.
Some physical factors also hinder its urban development
because it is situated between mountains in two directions and the sea
in the other Number one, Chengdu, China.
Chinese cities generally face issues
like urban sprawl, traffic congestion, pollution and massive slums.
The same story can be told about Chengdu.
It saw tremendous population growth due to the technology and innovation boom,
and this growth is also a substantial
contributing factor to its present day urban problems For example,
Chengdu is one of the worst cities for rush hour traffic.
As a result, people often think twice before heading out into the streets.
So what do you think about the design of the city?
You're living in? Do let us know in the comments below.
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