One of the things that makes a great designer is the ability to see beauty in unlikely places. And images of urban decay can really put that ability to the test.

Whether it’s images of abandoned buildings or simply a disregarded alley or nook, there is beauty to be found in the derelict and forgotten areas of the world’s cities. The images below give only a small taste of what’s out there, ready to inspire your next design project.

Urban Decay in Tacoma
by anthonyh2006

Urban Decay at a Marin School
by CourtneyAllison

Urban Decay: Nature Juxtaposed with Industry
by Irit

Day 10 — Urban Decay (or Regrowth?)
by brianjmatis

Urban Decay2
by grigjr

Urban Decay — Sofas and Chairs
by byonder

Urban Decay 11 — Courtyard
by grigjr

Urban Decay – 01 — Graffiti
by scotto

Urban Decay — Aerosol Cans
by ridethespiral1

Urban Decay — Red Chair
by secdoover

UrbanDecay
by entengruetze

Urban Decay — English Academy
by ghostrider-in-ze-sky

Urban Decay: American Auto
by paperdolldreams

Urban Decay: Rusted Factory
by JoeCollver

Urban Decay – 14: Warehouse
by scotto

Urban Decay: Arches
by VSprink

Urban Decay: Black and White Doorway
by downhill

Urban Decay: Smoke Stacks
by snake.eyes

Urban Decay 5: Sunlight Effects
by ghostrider-in-ze-sky

Urban Decay Boston
by tarotist

Urban Decay: Three Towers
by bloodfilledlungs

Urban Decay: Water Fountain
by Enzo D.

Urban Decay New Set – 1
by ro-stock

Rust in Peace
by thespook

Decay VIII
by Benjinoman

Queens Urban Decay 207a
by chaserpaul

Urban Decay 3: Stroke-on-Trent
by CarolAnneS

Urban Decay 2: Peeling Plaster and Brick
by rosetigerdragon

Decay from the "Urban Exploration" Project
by MuffYz

Urban Decay, Velluters
by Xavi Calvo

Urban Decay (Moscow)
by happy-dee-dooo

Urban Decay: Broken Window
by B Rosen

Urban Decay 008: Peeling Paint
by MarcoFiorentini

Old Colonial Mansion Opposite the National Museum
by remittance_girl

Stuffed If I Know
by MIAD

Dodgey Ladder
by MIAD

Urbex Self Portrait
by James Loesch

Blue Door, Yellow Wall
by Stoxasths

Setting Up the Fair
by Stoxasths

Krampnitz
by James C Farmer

The Old Soccer Stadion
by Static_P

In the Heart of the Plant
by NARIBIS

MF
by Static_P

West Park – Still Life 2
by Romanywg

Abandoned Asylum
by andre.govia

Lier Mental Hospital – Old Wheel Chair
by Anders V. Tøftemo

The Next Mission
by Romanywg

West Park Reflections too
by Romanywg

Green: Peeling Pain
by James C Farmer

Please Close the Doors After Leaving
by James C Farmer

Beelitz: #1
by James C Farmer

Way Out
by James C Farmer

Beelitz: #2
by James C Farmer

Concrete Stairwell
by Chris Leithead

Rust Macro at Filey
by tina_manthorpe

Brooklyn Rust: The Brooklyn Bridge
by Digital Agent

Locked Rust Blue
by tina_manthorpe

Cracked Sidewalk in Front of Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton
by Chris Campbell

Bowling Alley
by keiththrn

Abandoned in Cork
by slinky2000

Abandoned Building
by Isaac E

Denbigh Abandoned Asylum
by andre.goby

Pripyat, Ukraine Chernobyl
by robot fotomat

Nuclear Winter in Chernobyl
by Stuck in Customs

Pripyat Amusement Park, Ukraine Chernobyl
by robot fotomat

Swimming Pool in the Abandoned School in Pripyat’ / Chernobyl
by Danny–Boy

Urban Decay 8
by ghostrider-in-ze-sky

Abandoned Building in Pripyat’ / Chernobyl
by Danny–Boy

Chernobyl/Pripyat, Ukraine: Ferris Wheel
by 8333696

Abandoned Building in Pripyat’ / Chernobyl
by DannyBoy

Watcher
by borderfilms (Doug)

OH Dexter City – Abandoned School
by scottamus

Abandoned City Methodist Church, Gary, Indiana
by Timothy Neesam

Pripyat – Abandoned City
by Dazzababes

Abandoned City: Paper Circles
by eruthnum

Abandoned City: Kitchen Stove
by eruthnum

City Meth: Gary, Indiana
by Noel Kerns

Abandoned Building in La Habana, Cuba
by vormplus

Hospental, Abandoned Building: Switzerland
by Tuuur

Abandoned Row Houses – Perlman Place (Baltimore)
by sann235

NYC Ghetto: Bushwick Brooklyn
by izakokomari890

Flats to Let 1987: South Bronx
by Urban Photos

Grungy Wall Texture
by iammi-z

Rust Texture
by code1name

Grunge: Wooden Door
by jazza

Lisbon Balconies
by hbrinkman

Old Wood: Grungy Wooden Structure
by jazza

Deserted Houses
by barunpatro

Old Tower
by cyborg1us

Old Stavelot: Ardennes, Belgium
by hbrinkman

Museum? A Rundown Shack in Sofala, NSW, Australia
by drakemata

Street Urban Decay: Porto City, Portugal
by saavem

Tangled Wires
by drog1998

Abandoned Warehouse 5: Gatke Building, Warsaw, IN
by freschje

Miami, Arizona
by kevinzim

New Orleans Alley post Katrina
by bonesdog

Ruins
by Marinela

Utrect: Canal in Holland
by martwork

Old Door in a House in Limache, Chile
by philhxc

Urban Winter: Saarbrücken, Bürgerpark
by Author

About Author – Cameron Chapman is a professional Web and graphic designer with over 7 years of experience. She writes for a number of blogs, including her own, Cameron Chapman On Writing. She’s also the author of Internet Famous: A Practical Guide to Becoming an Online Celebrity.