Some photos draw you in and don’t want to let you go, so you spend entire minutes (that feel like small eternities) sitting transfixed, with your eyes on the screen. That’s exactly the feeling we get when we look at the pics featured on this subreddit that’s entirely dedicated to showing off the beauty of infrastructure. After all, (and let’s be cheesy here for a moment) infrastructure doesn’t just connect us together physically—it also connects our hearts through the mutual adoration of aesthetics.
And while the internet watchdogs might censor the full name of this particular online community, what they can’t hide is the love that we feel for beautiful and artistic photos. We’ve collected some of the best photos from the ‘Infrastructure’ subreddit, the home to nearly 225k members, for you to enjoy. So scroll down, upvote your fave photos, and let us know if these images have seduced you away from your (and my) true love—cute cat pics.
According to anthropologist Margaret Mead, however, the first sign of civilization in a culture isn't something that we make (like fishhooks or clay pots); it's how we act towards others. Specifically, our compassion.
#1 Aqueduct Veluwemeer, Netherlands
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#2 The Storseisundet Bridge In Norway
Image credits: thescarface5567
#3 Three Undergound Metro Lines Crossing Eachother At The Place De L'opéra In Paris
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
Anthropologist Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a thighbone that had healed after being broken. That's because it shows that somebody stayed together with the person who broke their femur and helped them recover. In Mead's opinion, civilization starts there because it shows the contrast between human beings and the rest of the animal kingdom which lives by the law of the jungle where it's survival of the fittest all the way through.
That's not to say that animals aren't compassionate toward each other (they are), but it takes around six weeks of rest for a femur to heal without modern medicine and that's a very long time to spend with a wounded member of the pack who can't feed itself, contribute to the group, or protect itself from predators.
#4 Electric Elevated Railway (Suspension Railway) , Wuppertal, Germany
Image credits: tanmayp63
#5 A Partial View Of The 30km Long Houtribdijk Dam In The Netherlands. Again, Leave It To The Dutch!
Image credits: motemha
#6 A1 Highway Ecoduct, The Veluwe, Netherlands [1000x667]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
The ‘Infrastructure’ subreddit, founded way back in 2011, is exclusively dedicated to (yup, you guessed it) pictures of infrastructure. From paved roads and other public transit to agriculture, freight, waste management, and water systems. And far more!
You’ve got bridges and tunnels! Sewers and electrical grids! Telecommunications and all the other physical interconnected systems that improve our lives.
#7 A Cell Phone Tower Disguised As Cactus [668x1000]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#8 The Tokyo Subway Network From Above
Image credits: FCIUS
#9 Ecoducts, Railway, Highway, Roads, Walkways... In Breda, The Netherlands
Image credits: earthmoonsun
Infrastructure encompasses all the marvels of human ingenuity and engineering that make living life far easier and all the things that we really don’t want to do without. Infrastructure is what keeps us worrying about first-world problems instead of how we’ll get water today when the local spring is ten miles away and goes through a pitch-black forest full of hungry wolves.
The more you think about it, the more the term ‘infrastructure’ seems to touch. So while we’ve got hard infrastructure that we can touch and physically use like roads, we’ve also got soft infrastructure that isn’t as tangible but is still vital to the health and welfare of any local community.
#10 An Archipelago In Norway
Image credits: Gavin_av
#11 Three Bridges In London: A Road Crossing Over A Canal Crossing Over A Railway Line
Image credits: aldebxran
#12 Shalu Leisure Landscape Trail, Taichung, Taiwan
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
Some examples of soft infrastructure can include our network of institutions that are responsible for our economy, public health, social order, and cultural standards. From law enforcement and emergency services to educational programs and even… parks and recreational facilities! These might be far harder to take a photo of, but they’re still essential to civilization. After all, roads and streets mean nothing if you don’t have people working to help each other in whatever way they can best apply their particular set of skills.
#13 Holland, Michigan's Downtown Has Heated Streets And Sidewalks That Melt Snow And Ice. The System Utilizes Wastewater From A Nearby Power Plant Which Circulates Through 120 Miles Of Plastic Piping Underneath The Pavement. It Can Melt An Inch Of Snow An Hour Even At 20 Degrees Fahrenheit
Image credits: kernals12
#14 My Developing Country Of Georgia Has Been Renewing Its 20th Century Rust Oven Fleet, With An Armada Of Brand New Electric Buses. Pedestrian Life Just Got Easier.
Image credits: -mammalman-
#15 Pont De Normandie, France
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
#16 A Village Settlement In Denmark
Image credits: jaapgrolleman
#17 In 1976, San Jose City Councilman Joe Colla Lifted His Car With A Crane Onto One Of The Unconnected Ramps Of The I-280/I-680 Interchange To Protest It Not Being Finished. It Was Completed 5 Years Later And In 2010, Was Renamed In Honor Of Him.
Image credits: kernals12
#18 San Francisco Infrastructure
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#19 I Was Told To Post This Here. Oil Rig Before It Is Underwater
Image credits: sharpdevv
#20 Railway Bridge In Nairobi National Park, Kenya
Image credits: biwook
#21 Railways In Tokyo
Image credits: Silber4
#22 A Railroad Crossing Is Surrounded By Flooding Near Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst)
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#23 Brutalist Flats In Camden, London
Image credits: TheBetterFzeroX
#24 The Beipanjiang Bridge, Spanning The Nizhu River In China At A Height Of 565 Metres
Image credits: FoxFoxington
#25 Roundabout And Bicycle Bridge In The Netherlands
Image credits: LuckyLuuk14
#26 Highway Interchange Near Tokyo
Image credits: DoritosDewItRight
#27 Sart Canal Bridge, Belgium
Image credits: Jezawan
#28 Viaduc De Millau - France
Image credits: sylsau
#29 Botanical Garden In Madrid Atocha Train Statino
Image credits: KantKay11
#30 “It’s Not Possible To Take Such A Photograph Anymore, As The Buildings Outside Block The Sun Rays.” Grand Central, NYC (1929)
Image credits: reddit.com
#31 Somewhere In Hong Kong
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#32 Bhumibol Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#33 Project Engineers Demonstrating The Cantilever Principles Of The Forth Bridge In Scotland, 1887 [1040x760]
Image credits: ScipioA
#34 Does This Count? Ice Road In Estonia. Speed Limit 10-25 Km/H And 40-70 Km/H. Advised To Avoid The Range Of 25-40 Km/H For Extended Periods Of Time Because Of Resonance. It's Also Illegal To Fasten Your Seat Belts
Image credits: Double-decker_trams
#35 The Gwangyang Steel Works In Gwangyang, South Korea - The Largest Facility Of Its Kind In The World
Image credits: biwook
#36 Kechut Reservoir, Jermuk, Armenia
Image credits: tanmayp63
#37 "V" Shaped Bridge In Moscow, Russia
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#38 Here’s Highway 401 Aka North America’s Busiest Highway At Its Widest Point (18 Lanes) Just Outside Of Toronto, Ontario
Image credits: motemha
#39 The New Main Railway Station In Vienna, Austria
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
#40 The Slauerhoffbrug, A Drawbridge Over A Canal In Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Image credits: archineering
#41 San Diego Freeway
Image credits: biwook
#42 Inside The Main Railway Station In Berlin, Germany [1000x1000]
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
#43 Subsea Undergroundabout, Faroe Islands
Image credits: Hitno
#44 Yanweizhou Park Was Designed To Flood During The Monsoon Season To Help Prevent The City Of Jinhua, China From Flooding.
Image credits: gahte3
#45 The World's Longest Conveyor Belt. It Carries Phosphate 61 Miles From Bou Craa In Western Sahara To The Port Of Marsa
Image credits: archineering
#46 Dudhasagar Falls (Sea Of Milk), Goa, India
Image credits: wickedGamer65
#47 Cykelslangen (The Bicycle Snake), Copenhagen, Denmark
Image credits: tanmayp63
#48 A New Pedestrian Bridge Has Opened In Chengdu Of China
Image credits: KantKay11
#49 The Deepsea Nordkapp Semi-Submersible Oil Rig
Image credits: tellg1291
#50 The Cantilevered Portion Of The Brooklyn Queens Expressway
Image credits: kernals12
#51 Napoli Afragola High Speed Rail Station In Italy
Image credits: Twisp56
#52 Taoyuan, Taiwan
Image credits: tanmayp63
#53 Different Generations Of Bridge Design (Forth Rail Bridge 1889, Forth Road Bridge 1964, Queensferry Crossing 2017)
Image credits: JordieDAFC
#54 Ruyi Bridge In Shenxianju,taizhou
Image credits: MightyIrish
#55 The Dresden Suspension Railway Is The Second-Oldest Of Its Kind, Dating Back To 1901
Image credits: archineering
#56 Saint Petersburg Metro, Russia
Image credits: MIIAIIRIIK
#57 Water Tower Near Moncontour, Brittany, France
Image credits: archineering
#58 Bundles Of Infrastructure Near The Port Of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Image credits: xMFnR6cP3V9sz
#59 Not Sure If This Counts ... But That Id A Huge Interchange
Image credits: mferrari24
#60 Millau Viaduct, France
Image credits: tanmayp63
#61 Glowing Greenhouses In The Netherlands. Photo By George Steinmetz
Image credits: archineering
#62 Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
Image credits: sylsau
#63 Liège-Guillemins Train Station In Belgium. It Is Hard To Find A Photo That Captures This Place!
Image credits: Terraky
#64 When The Cloverleaf Doesn't Do It For You But You Can't Let It Go.
Image credits: kjblank80
#65 Infrastructure That Makes You Go Hmmm
Image credits: redidididididit
#66 Skytrain Inside Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
Image credits: BayViewPro
#67 Crni Kal, In Slovenia
Image credits: tanmayp63
#68 Gordon Dam In Tasmania, Australia
Image credits: 13frodo
#69 Bridge Between Two Buildings, Chongqing
Image credits: tanmayp63
#70 Gotthard Pass In Switzerland
Image credits: tanmayp63
#71 A Car Elevator In Chicago, Circa 1936
Image credits: ElectronicRhubarb841
#72 Bangkok, Thailand
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#73 Golden Gate Bridge Bring Constructed In 1935
Image credits: bunkabaab
#74 Édouard Montpetit Rem Station Excavation, 70m Below Montréal
Image credits: slapped_chicken
#75 Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd)
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#76 Henningsvaer Fotballbanen (Soccer Field) In Norway
Image credits: KantKay11
#77 Manhattan Bridge - New York
Image credits: ElectronicRhubarb841
#78 Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai
Image credits: wickedGamer65
#79 Northern Lights From The Top Of The Mackinac Bridge
Image credits: Driftershoots
#80 What The Roof Of Notre-Dame Currently Looks Like [2048x1366]
Image credits: loulan
#81 Hong Kong Water Treatment Plant
Image credits: Hong-Kong-Pianist
#82 “Duga” Radar System, Ukraine
Image credits: ElectronicRhubarb841
#83 Another Scale Of Infrastructure, These Salmon Stairs In Sweden
Image credits: HoSchimon
#84 Boston Before And After The Big Dig [1280x1920]
Image credits: h2ozo
#85 The Telescope At The Arecibo Observatory In Puerto Rico Has Collapsed, Presumably In A Much Less Awesome Fashion Than In Goldeneye
Image credits: kernals12
#86 "Western High-Speed Diameter" Is An Intracity Toll Highway In St. Petersburg, Russia
Image credits: Proper-Sock4721
#87 St. John's Bridge Across The Willamette River In Portland, USA
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#88 Highway Interchange In Guiyang
Image credits: biwook
#89 Feeling Anxious? Don't Try This Highway Under The Sea Level In The Netherlands.
Image credits: Gigabited
#90 Liziba Station, Chongqing
Image credits: Mizu3
#91 Railroad Bridge In Brazil.
Image credits: gahte3
#92 Newly Constructed Tunnel For Mumbai Metro
Image credits: LimpMusician2069
#93 Paris Train Corridor
Image credits: MIIAIIRIIK
#94 Melting Street During A Heatwave In India [2000x1333]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#95 Mont Blanc Tunnel Entrance In Chamonix, France
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
#96 Eco-Link Over The Bukit Timah Expressway In Singapore [1118x745]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#97 Traffic Control Booth, Chernivtsi, Ukraine, 1970s
Image credits: archineering
#98 Interstate H-3- Oahu, Hawaii
Image credits: kernals12
#99 Shasta Dam - Under Construction - 1942
Image credits: KimLonDong
#100 These Unique Hybrid Monorails Ran On The Us Capital Subway System From 1915-1961
Image credits: Marc_Sasaki
#101 Platforms At Denver Union Station, Colorado, USA
Image credits: archineering
#102 Highway Under Construction, Iran
Image credits: biwook
#103 Our New Bicycle Parking Has Opened Today With 5475 Spots
Image credits: VincZ
#104 The New Panama Canal Locks Under Construction In 2014 [2048x1365]
Image credits: irritatedcitydweller
#105 The Back Side Of Hoover Damn, Under Water Since 1936
Image credits: PurifiedAppleJuice
#106 Solar Power Plants In The United States Photographed By Bernhard Lang
Image credits: nikrdc
#107 [oc] Washington Dc Metro Stations Are Still Gorgeous Even If You Get Used To Them
Image credits: 0nouseforaname0
#108 Solar Panels Covering The Hillside In China's Henan Province [2400x3000]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#109 7 Mile Bridge To Key West, Florida
Image credits: yobbleyibble
#110 Before And After Boston's Big Dig
Image credits: kernals12
#111 Conveyor Belt Of The Obed Mountain Mine In Alberta, Canada. Regardless Of It Being A Coal Mine I Just Think The Conveyor Belt Is Kind Of Neat
Image credits: Viscount1881
#112 Amager Bakke: Ski Mountain, Hiking Trails An Energy Plant
Image credits: nowhere--man
#113 Bridge.
Image credits: Wamges
#114 The Delta Works In The Netherlands, Consisting Of 13 Parts, Together Form The Largest Storm Surge Barrier In The World And Was Declared One Of The Seven Wonders Of The Modern World By The American Society Of Civil Engineers.
Image credits: KantKay11
#115 A Freight Train Being Loaded On A Ship In Coatzacoalcos, Mexico.
Image credits: gahte3
#116 Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson's Planetrain Is The Most Used Airport People Mover In The World
Image credits: kernals12
#117 Hong Kong International Airport
Image credits: Jezawan
#118 The Hague Central Station, The Netherlands
Image credits: momohartn
#119 Meyer Werft Shipyard, Papenburg, Germany. Home To The World's Largest Roofed Drydock.
Image credits: archineering
#120 A Shout Out To Savannah, Home Of The Port Of Savannah, The Largest Container Terminal In North America.
Image credits: kernals12
#121 1,5km 5% Ship Escalator | Ronquières, Belgium
Image credits: reddit.com
#122 Do Nuclear Power Plants Count As Infrastructure? If So, Then Here's The Bruce Nuclear Power Plant In Canada, Also The 13th Most Powerful Nuclear Power Plant In The World, That Generates Around 9% Of Canadian Energy By Itself.
Image credits: StarlordLoral
#123 The Vandenberg Space Shuttle Launch Complex That Never Launched A Shuttle
The extensive modifications to Space Launch Complex 6 (casually know as "Slick Six") at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California were largely complete. As seen in the photo, a dummy External Tank, dummy Solid Rocket Boosters, and the Enterprise (a not spaceworthy vehicle used for landing tests) were assembled at the complex for fit tests.
Shuttle landings would have also occurred at the site, so a strip at the base had been extended from 5,500 feet (1,700 m) to 3 miles (4.8 km) in length.
A Shuttle launch from the site, commanded by veteran astronaut (and exceptionally brave guy) Robert Crippen, was scheduled for October 15, 1986.
Then, tragically, on January 28, 1986, Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after liftoff. What followed was a 32 month shutdown the Space Shuttle program. Shuttle launches from Vandenburg were to have been primarily Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office missions and during the downtime they ultimately decided to shift payloads intended for launch by the Shuttle at Vandenburg to expendable rockets, with occasional Shuttles launched from Kennedy Space Center.
After transferring many of the assets of the complex to other locations (KSC, in particular), SLC 6 was formally mothballed on September 20, 1989.
But it wasn't over for the complex. It was retrofitted and reactivated in 1994, first hosting launches of Athena rockets, then Delta IV Mediums and Heavies.
Image credits: Marc_Sasaki
#124 Unlike Dallas, They Build Flyover Interchanges For Trains In Singapore. Jurong East Interchange Station.
Image credits: rgtgg
#125 The Willy Brandt Airport Of Berlin Is Finally Open After A Delay Of Almost 9 Years And Have Over €4 Billion Of Extra Spending.
Image credits: KantKay11
#126 Not Brilliant Resolution; But It Compensates By Being An Extraordinary Picture ... & On-Balance It Seemed Well-Fit For Posting.
Image credits: PoppyCattyPetal
#127 The Minneapolis Skyway System Is The Largest In The World Covering Over 69 City Blocks (11 Miles) Which Allows You To Live, Work, Shop, Dine, Bar Hop, Attend Sporting Events & Concerts Year Round; You Never Have To Go Outside, Unless You Want To
Image credits: reddit.com
#128 The Tuned Mass Damper Of Taipei 101 Skyscraper. A Tuned Mass Damper Is A Device Mounted In Structures To Reduce The Amplitude Of Mechanical Vibrations. Their Application Can Prevent Discomfort, Damage, Or Outright Structural Failure.
Image credits: _SP3CT3R
#129 Hydropowerplant In Iceland
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#130 The Stockholm Telephone Tower With Approximately 5,500 Telephone Lines, 1890 [1600x1238]
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#131 Union Station, Denver, Colorado
Image credits: Aperson3334
#132 The High Street Cap In Columbus, Oh, A Cost-Efficient Way To Mitigate The Damage Caused To American Neighborhoods By Freeway Construction Of The 1960s. Holds 3 Lanes Of Traffic As Well As Two Commercial Buildings. The Surrounding Area’s Seen Significant Development Since The Bridge Was Built
Image credits: mrthrowawayacc04
#133 The Sea Cliff Bridge, Australia
Image credits: biwook
#134 Terminal 1, Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport
Image credits: KantKay11
#135 Tapo Bus Terminal In Mexico City
Image credits: Jezawan
#136 A Coal Train Swings Through The Curves At Sully Springs, North Dakota
Image credits: biwook
#137 Aerial Veiw Of The Launch Pads Along Cape Canaveral Air Force Station [3000 × 2400]
Image credits: RyanSmith
#138 Bharati Research Station Of India.
Image credits: Doofinshmirtz379
#139 Highest Suspension Bridge In Africa - Mohamed Vi - Rabat, Morocco
Image credits: LiKhrejMnDarMo9ahba
#140 Park Bridge In The Kicking Horse Pass In British Columbia, Canada
Image credits: Viscount1881
#141 Magdeburg Water Bridge, Germany
Image credits: tanmaypendse63
#142 The Only City In Canada With A Complete Controlled-Access Ring Road .edmonton, Alberta.
Image credits: the_ravenant
#143 World's Greatest Dam (Three Gorges China) Needs The World's Greatest Ship Lock. Steps: 5 / Lanes: 2 / Elevation Change: 175m / F**ks Given: 0
Image credits: el_empty
#144 Kronenburg Tram Station In Amstelveen, Netherlands
Image credits: AlarmedYoshi
#145 Future Station Amsterdam South
Image credits: Horan_Sriue
#146 Peachtree Center Transit Station In Atlanta. At 120 Feet Below Downtown It Is Atlanta's Deepest Marta Station And It Is Massive.
Image credits: hoggytime613
#147 Wind Turbine Blade, Germany
Image credits: verfmeer
#148 Terminal At Berlin's New Brandenburg Airport, Due To Open On October 31 After 9 Years Of Delays And Billions Of Euros Of Cost Overruns Have Become A Major Scandal And Embarrassment To The City.
Image credits: kernals12
#149 Mackinac Bridge Connecting The Upper And Lower Peninsulas Of The U.S. State Of Michigan
Image credits: sylsau
#150 Old (1958) vs. New (2011) Viaducts Over The River Ulla (Spain)
Image credits: luigigp99
#151 Since 1998, Carmel, Indiana, A Suburb Of Indianapolis, Has Replaced Almost All Of Its Signalized Intersections With Roundabouts. They Have 125 Now And Plan To Reach 140.
Image credits: kernals12
#152 Three Gorges Dam In China. Largest In The World.
Image credits: ElectronicRhubarb841
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