These apocalyptic-looking cities are equipped with ample public attractions, police stations, and shopping centers, yet they are nearly devoid of people.
While the UK government is encouraged to build more housing to supplement its tight supply, China’s economic growth has led the country to face a completely opposite problem.
Unfinished abandoned apartment buildings. (Photo: Getty).
These “ghost cities” are scattered throughout this vast Asian country, where abandoned homes outnumber residents by a ratio of 10:1, with millions of unused apartments. Visitors to these cities are often overwhelmed as they walk among hundreds of vacant high-rise buildings.
About 90% of housing in Ordos is uninhabited. (Photo: Getty).
The Ordos Urban Area is part of the Chinese government’s plan to build 400 new cities over 20 years. It features an airport, schools, a mosque, and a police station. Yet, all remain empty.
Commencing during the economic boom, Ordos was not completed as planned due to construction companies going bankrupt and withdrawing from the project.
A flower garden with no one around. (Photo: Getty).
Tall rows of buildings, attractions, and vast shopping centers are covered in dust. No residents or tourists step inside.
The side effect of China’s rapid economic growth is that these urban areas remain inactive, and the real estate market is in free fall.
A wide road with no traffic. (Photo: Getty).
Mr. Darmon Richter, who self-identifies as an “urban explorer,” shared after visiting Ordos: “This city truly feels more apocalyptic than anywhere I have ever been. Even in Chernobyl, you would encounter other tourist groups or see items rearranged by countless photographers who had come before.”
However, Ordos is completely desolate. Walking through the silent streets was a haunting experience for Mr. Richter.
Photo: Getty
He recounted: “There were a few people walking in the central area, but as we ventured further into the suburbs, we entered vast areas full of abandoned buildings and empty offices.
At first, the silence was suffocating, even frightening, but after a few hours of exploration, the city began to feel increasingly liberating, almost as if humanity and its laws had gone extinct, replaced by a massive urban landscape devoid of life.”
Although designed to accommodate one million people, Ordos had only about 100,000 residents by 2016.
Photo: Getty
According to Insider, China had about 65 million vacant homes in 2020—enough to house the entire population of France.
The construction boom began in the late 1990s, with local officials purchasing vast agricultural lands for urban development.
However, this enormous number of homes has not made the housing market cheaper, as nearly all properties in these “ghost cities” are reported to be owned.
