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.
Comments
faizan October 2nd, 2009
nice collection! a concise world photography!
ReplyDesignect.Com October 3rd, 2009
I very like. Nice collection! Thank u!!!
ReplyMike October 3rd, 2009
I got cold shivers seeing the abandoned buildings of Chernobyl – as somebody who grew up in Central Europe it’s tough to see and tougher to imagine what happened. Thanks for the pic collection – awesome!
ReplyPiks October 3rd, 2009
I love abandoned places – have much to admire. Thank you for pictures collection
Replybee October 3rd, 2009
Some really nice photos, I just love everything old, rotten, grungy… Though I don’t like all of those pics, some are just too “normal” for this post… I’d rather prefered 50 outstanding pictures for this post than these 100.
ReplyErik Westrup October 3rd, 2009
I really love some of these UE photos.
ReplyEzuca October 3rd, 2009
Truly captivating photos. The photos have got a lot of hidden nuances, so sublime! Thanks
ReplyTech Tips October 3rd, 2009
Cool photographs , Thanks for sharing
ReplyWeb 2.0 Tools October 3rd, 2009
Nice collection, great work…
ReplyRahul Chowdhury October 3rd, 2009
Thanks for these collection!
ReplyAng October 3rd, 2009
nice collection! i reli LoVE IT :)
Ang
Replyhttp://angnetwork.com/
Kevin October 3rd, 2009
I love these pictures. Especially the ones from old factories and power plants, they’ve captured a great atmosphere.
ReplyMichel October 3rd, 2009
Tons of HDR photos, I love that!
ReplyRoxana October 3rd, 2009
very very nice!! Amazing work!
Replyyoyomandroid October 4th, 2009
Whew!!!
ReplyThat’s creepy I tell you.
Richard October 4th, 2009
those abandoned bumper cars are very eerie!
ReplyAh Hong October 4th, 2009
Good photo. It’s likes is urban classic kind of feel.
ReplyDzinepress October 5th, 2009
really amazing photography.
ReplyJagoan SEO October 5th, 2009
amazing
Replygood work
naz October 5th, 2009
magnificient!
ReplyYILKA October 5th, 2009
Excellent photos :-) Thanks for sharing ^^
ReplyJennifer Moline, PsPrint October 6th, 2009
Gorgeous! Over at PsPrint, we’ve been finding inspiration all around us, too, particularly, Mother Nature: http://blog.psprint.com/printing/mother-nature-as-inspiration-designs-from-the-desert/
I like that this article covers the flip-side.
Replypdf-search-engine October 6th, 2009
Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos.
ReplyFree Social Icons October 6th, 2009
Crazy photos i like the one with the broke down bus.
ReplyThemesPedia.com October 6th, 2009
Beautiful sharing. Love it very much!
ReplySid Burgess October 6th, 2009
Gorgeous. I would love to cross post this. Would you contact me and let me know your thoughts on that. sidburgess@gmail.com
Replybattery October 8th, 2009
Nice collection, great work…
Replydubai holidays October 8th, 2009
Thanks for this wonderful addition. Really enjoyed your blog. Appreciate people taking the time to write quality work..
ReplyClark October 9th, 2009
Not a fan of hdr but a big fan of capturing banal artifacts of the cities we live in.
ReplyMyLink is Educated October 9th, 2009
all of them are very nice photographs. I really like them all. Thanks hongkiat. I hope there is compiled downloadable version of those pictures cos I like them all.
ReplyJohn Godwin October 10th, 2009
Hey, some awesome work right there. I know a few of the people who took some of those pictures, too.
I have an urban decay section on my website http://john-godwin.co.uk/blog/category/mental-asylum/
It covers many of the same areas photographed in your series.
Replyresham pande October 10th, 2009
unbliveable
ReplyCharles Milton October 12th, 2009
This is a great and beautiful showing of creativity. I love some of these pictures and at the same time I see them as inspiring. I also like the title, Urban Decay. Thanx
Replyplywood chennai October 13th, 2009
The photography are amazing and Excellent look
Replyfun games for kids October 19th, 2009
Fantastic. Just wondering, how do you get all those cool photography??
ReplyAltis Lo (Beaulife) October 19th, 2009
Wow! All these are pieces of arts to keep for viewing and admiring all the times. Simply unbelievable and worth for collection.
[Delighting Lifestyle] Best Buy And Idea | Blog And Store.
ReplyFollow me on Twitter.
Metal roofing chennai October 21st, 2009
Excellent collection of photographs
Replyaperturetemplates October 22nd, 2009
more amazing images.
ReplyAccess control system November 5th, 2009
The designs are excellent
Replyplywood india November 9th, 2009
Excellent collection of urban-decay-photography, Great Effort
Replyseo faqs November 21st, 2009
The photographies are looks beautiful and excellent collection
ReplyTrackbacks