The spectacle of city life in Agora’s best urban photos of the year

By Rich Haridy

December 12, 2019

'Ship city' by @azimronnie (Bangladesh). A ship-building dock in Dhaka, Bangladesh

@azimronnie/Agora

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'Urban sunset' by @msubirats (Spain). A popular sunset spot in Munich, Germany

@msubirats/Agora

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'Vessel' by @ericc_photography (Spain). New York City's new climbable sculpture, Vessel

@ericc_photography/Agora

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'Underground' by @dmartphoto (Sweden). A subway in Stockholm

@dmartphoto/Agora

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'The Block' by @ajuriaguerra (Spain). Built in 1964, the so-called “Houses of the Americans” in Bilbao make up three blocks that reinterpret the experience of Le Corbusier in “L´Unite d' Habitation” in Marseille

@ajuriaguerra/Agora

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'SYMMETRICAL URBAN' by @i.ride.to.drone (Singapore)

@i.ride.to.drone/Agora

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'Hotel W' by @javito80 (Spain). Barcelona's iconic hotel at sunset

@javito80

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'Night court press' by @thedronelad (UK)

@thedronelad/Agora

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'Gotham City' by @karaemurphy (USA). Chicago's Two Prudential Plaza at dusk

@karaemurphy/Agora

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'Eyeshape' by @marcelvanbalken (Netherlands)

@marcelvanbalken/Agora

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'Colored cubes' by @angiolomanetti (Italy). Residential buildings in Odaiba, Tokyo

@angiolomanetti/Agora

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'Cybertron City' by @donaldhyip (Australia). The Cityscape of Dubai over Sheikh Zayed Road

@donaldhyip/Agora

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'Look up!' by @leowillgo (Venezuela). Taken in Stockholm, May 2019

@leowillgo/Agora

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'Gothico profundo' by @paulaaranoa (Argentina). The mysterious streets of Barcelona's gothic neighbourhood

@paulaaranoa

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'International Children's Library' by @diselpower_gallery (Japan). The International Children's Library in Ueno City, Tokyo

@diselpower_gallery/Agora

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'Tokyo Vibes' by @cunodebruin (Netherlands)

@cunodebruin/Agora

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'Stockholm, Sweden' by @leo.wies (Germany)

@leo.wies/Agora

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'Those eyes' by @alicesukiasyan (Armenia)

@alicesukiasyan/Agora

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'Urban' by @birazhayalci (Turkey)

@birazhayalci/Agora

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'Urban' by @pifpie (USA)

@pifpie

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'Trapped' by @laboussole.seon (France). The legendary Yick Fat building in Hong Kong

@laboussole.seon

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'Untitled' by @banudiker (Turkey). Apartments along the Nile River in Cairo

@banudiker/Agora

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'Pink beauty' by @frankseltmann (Germany). A spiral staircase in Munich, Germany

@frankseltmann/Agora

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'Ship city' by @azimronnie (Bangladesh). A ship-building dock in Dhaka, Bangladesh

@azimronnie/Agora

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'Sinking in the fog' by @borsch (Russia). Moscow in fog

@borsch/Agora

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'Organised Chaos' by @leemumford8 (UK). Hong Kong from above

@leemumford8/Agora

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'Myriad' by @dlr (Australia). Brisbane, Australia's third largest city

@dlr/Agora

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'Nightscape in Rome' by @henrydo (USA)

@henrydo/Agora

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'Saigon-Vietnam' by @nguyenvuphuoc (Vietnam). Two female workers on Saigon's under-construction new metro line

@nguyenvuphuoc/Agora

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'Tram Lines' by @jprphotos (UK). One of the many trams that run through the busy streets of Budapest

@jprphotos/Agora

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'Transamerica Vertigo' by @niroshan_a (USA). San Francisco's skyline by drone

@niroshan_a/Agora

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'Two opposed worlds' by @hadangkhoa (Vietnam)

@hadangkhoa/Agora

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'Radioactive' by @notanothermica (Belgium). A powerplant in the urban area of Charleroi, Belgium

@notanothermica/Agora

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'Standing strong' by @oystein (Norway)

@oystein/Agora

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'Stockholm' by @tom.bridges (UK)

@tom.bridges/Agora

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'Urban Living' by @zuzijanek (Slovakia). A building in Bratislava

@zuzijanek/Agora

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'Mind The Gap' by @_kennyc_ (UK). An iconic shot of the London Tube

@_kennyc_/Agora

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'Social life' by @olegp (Germany). Taken at the Tate Modern in London

@olegp/Agora

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'Churreria de guardia' by @danilupea (Romania)

@danilupea/Agora

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'a' by @damiane (Georgia). Tbilisi, Georgia

@damiane/Agora

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'A lonely morning in London' by @joelfriend (UK)

@joelfriend/Agora

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'Can't stop won't stop' by @theliamman (UK). A telephone box outside St Paul's Cathedral, London

@theliamman/Agora

$'/-\' by @wunderbilder (Germany). Rome, Italy$

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'/-\' by @wunderbilder (Germany). Rome, Italy

@wunderbilder/Agora

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'Chicago's Metro Transport' by @hwilson8 (USA)

@hwilson8/Agora

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'City of gold' by @patriciasoon (Malaysia). A panorama of Dubai

@patriciasoon/Agora

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'Untitled' by @anhtrungqng (Vietnam). Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam

@anhtrungqng/Agora

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'Abandoned skating' by @benskaar (USA). Skating in an abandoned chemical factory

@benskaar/Agora

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'Urban style' by @ares_mahol (Spain)

@ares_mahol/Agora

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'Sunrise in the city' by @tobboh (Germany). Dresden Hauptbahnhof, one of the most beautiful stations in Germany

@tobboh/Agora

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'Untitled' by @ nataliworldphotography (Spain)

@nataliworldphotography/Agora

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'Art or architecture?' by @johandroneadventures (Belgium). Home of the Arts (HOTA), on the Gold Coast in Australia

@johandroneadventures/Agora

View gallery - 50 images

The top 50 urban photos from global photography social network Agora span an incredible array of subjects and styles. Covering everything from drone shots to surreal portraits, these spectacular images encapsulate the rich, diverse and lively energy of city life in the 21^st century.

Whittled down from over 21,000 submissions, a winner will be selected from this top 50 and take home US$1,000. Agora’s photo contests are relatively novel in that the winners, and the top 50 shortlists, are chosen democratically by the users on the platform. Voting for this particular Urban Photography contest runs until early January, 2020.

Some of the photos featured in the shortlist are impressive, but unsurprising. There is the regular assortment of well-composed shots of the Dubai skyline and drone snaps of complex highway webs. But, there is also a wonderful array of unexpected and impressionistic takes on the urban experience turning this top 50 into a beautifully broad depiction of the modern built environment.

A couple enjoying sunset on a bridge in Munich, two metro workers clambering over a jungle of metal frames in Saigon, and a stunning contrast between old and new architecture in Vietnam, all highlight unique perspectives on city life.