Urban Degradation and "Visual Pollution" in Iran

Media around the world regularly report on all sorts of pollution: air, water, noise. These types of pollution have a direct impact on people's lives and health. But far less attention is paid to visual pollution, although it is certainly as prevalent in urban environments around the world. As urbanization keeps expanding, so do the visual jolts and disturbances people come across, from dilapidated or vandalized buildings and abandoned cars to constant building projects and hanging wires that block views of the sky. 

These photographs by Imam Hamakhah for Mehr News Agency show the impact of such visual pollution, suggesting an impact on people's lives and mental health that is rarely explored.