It doesn’t matter where you go in the world: it seems like litter is always an unwelcome part of the scenery. The Swiss city of Lucerne decided to do something about their litter problem by enticing residents and visitors to have fun while throwing their rubbish away. The initiative is called “Lucerne Shines,” and in the many years since it was implemented the city has seen an exceptional response.

(all images via: Freshome)

The project saw 16 public trash bins converted to public game stations. You won’t find any fancy touch-screen games, though – these games are all about cleaning up your mess and leaving the city a little prettier than you found it. From short mazes to free-throw lines to hopscotch, the initiative appeals to everyone who likes to have a little unexpected fun in the middle of an otherwise-ordinary day.

The project is a follow-up to a more general city cleanup initiative. The original effort saw a huge reduction in the amount of waste on city streets, but Lucerne was still spending an astonishing amount of money on litter cleanup every year. The city then had the brilliant idea to use fun as an incentive…and suddenly, the citizens of Lucerne just couldn’t wait to pop their trash into the waiting receptacles.

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Boom, Bust and Echoing Hallways

(image via: BBS.HSW)

China these days is awash with empty, abandoned and overbuilt housing, office and resort space. This is really saying something, considering China has a population of over 1.3 billion and overpopulation was so great a threat to future prosperity, the nation had to enact a draconian “one child law” to put the brakes on reproduction.

(images via: Caixin, Law.Dahe and 95191.com)

If there’s one thing modern China has more than people, however, it’s money… money that begs to be invested (some might say, laundered) in a virtual Pandora’s Box of get-rich-quick schemes. Many, if not most, of these investment “opportunities” are based on land speculation fueled by easy credit and a vast pool of nouveau riche who have been the prime beneficiaries of China’s great economic leap forward. Unlike many other nations, China’s financial system doesn’t provide many venues for cash investment – a concept that itself would be incomprehensible a generation ago. One might say that China’s financial infrastructure hasn’t yet caught up to the money-making machine that China’s economy has become.

(images via: XYBTV.com, Japanorama and Caixin)

In some ways, China’s construction boom is following in the footsteps of Japan’s real estate bubble – which, as we all know, ended rather badly. Even as Japan’s boom turned to bust, the nation’s government sought to cushion the construction industry by continuing to fund bizarre theme parks, unnecessary shoreline remediation and odd “musical highways”… projects that provided short-term employment only.

Villages of the Damned Speculators

(images via: Designerly Thinking and American News Post)

A similar wasteful pattern is being played out in China. Construction is funded for the sake of construction, regardless of any local need. Cities like Ordos sit virtually empty since without any accompanying manufacturing activity nearby, people have no reason to live there (and no income to pay for living space).

(image via: BBS.HSW)

China also suffers from a lack of regulation which has allowed pyramid schemes and official corruption to flourish. Take the unfinished resort complex at Lan Jia Village, in the Baqiao District of Shaanxi province, west of Beijing. The 160-acre complex sits on former farmland, thus depriving farmers of their occupation and markets of fresh and processed food.

(images via: ChinaHush and BBS.HSW)

On the face of it, the idea for a resort at Lan Jia Village isn’t a bad one and it wasn’t bad back in 1997 when developers first presented their plans to local authorities. Situated at the junction of three rivers (Ba River, Wei River and Jing River), the complex features a group of two-story, Mediterranean-style villas highlighted by a central domed conference center. Winding paths and canals weave amongst the villas and artful landscaping lent the resort a pleasing, pastoral vibe.

The Lost Resort

(images via: ChinaHush and ChariWeb)

So much for best intentions. Unbeknownst to the developers (or perhaps knownst, who can say?), regional authorities presented a plan for remodeling the shores of the Wei River, preserving wetlands and instituting a green belt along the shore. “The land belonged to Lan Jia Village at that time,” explained Yan Gaochao, an official from Ba Qiao District, to an independent reporter. “The developers had to apply to the homeland department for approval to nationalize the land before using it for other purposes, which began a series of processes. At that time, the developers took a short cut, signed the draft with the government and started the construction right away, never expecting the process to be stuck and/or contradicting with another government project. That’s why the villa cluster is left unfinished.”

(images via: Gaoling, BBS.HSW and ChariWeb)

One might expect the 160 acres to be cleared and returned to the farmers who originally occupied it but of course, that’s just too easy. While Yan assured the reporter that demolition of the villas “is inevitable”, he was unable to provide any further information. “There are no guidelines, no laws or regulations to follow through, or to decide whether or not to compensate the developers.” Indeed, nearly 15 years after construction began, the developers are nowhere to be found – perhaps they decided to cut their losses and move on to the next scheme.

(image via: Caixin)

In the meantime, the erstwhile Lan Jia Village resort continues to deteriorate. Windowless buildings offer ingress to sheltering wild animals, inclement weather and local children who play among the ruins. The village does have one tenant, however: a man named Li who lives in the domed conference center building. “I have been living here for 7 years,” stated Mr. Li, who said he was hired to oversee the buildings and do some light gardening. “My boss is only a project manager, I have never seen the real boss.” Odds are he never will.

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In certain areas of the United Kingdom, a strange sight awaits those who take a moment to look around. Trees – both living, growing trees and felled trunks – covered in coins dot the landscape. Passers-by hammer the money into the trees with rocks they find nearby, leaving a long-term mark of their passing. But what is behind this odd tradition?

(all images via: Colossal)

According to BBC News, the “money trees” are examples of wishing trees. Ever since humans developed spiritual beliefs, they have been making offerings to – and asking for favors from – the spirits of nature. By giving small trinkets, food, beverages or other items to certain trees, it is said that the spirits which inhabit the trees can grant wishes.

The money trees may be utilized by people plagued by an illness. One legend says that by hammering a coin into a tree, the tree can take away the sickness. Anyone who dared to remove one of the coins would himself be stricken with illness. Could all of these coins really have been placed by individuals trying to rid themselves of diseases?

Or is the presence of the coins a bit less dramatic? Maybe these “gifts” are akin to tossing pennies into a wishing well, making a silent wish and hoping that it comes true. Or perhaps they are meant only to commemorate the existence of the former owners of the coins – like initials carved in a tree, a symbol that says “I was here.” Thankfully, most of the coins seem to have been driven into stumps or dead, fallen trees rather than still-growing ones.

The manager of a holiday attraction in Gwynedd, Wales, did his own research on the coin tree phenomenon after visitors adorned a felled trunk with coins on his employer’s property. He claims that the practice dates all the way back to the 18th century, with one particular tree in Scotland bearing a florin. Whether or not these findings are accurate, the money trees are a fascinating tradition that appears to be confined only to Great Britain.

Taking the coin trees at face value and nothing more, they are visually striking. The coins look almost like a fascinating fungus or destructive parasites taking over the tree trunks. To think that each and every one of them was deliberately hammered into the hard wood by a person who had a reason for doing so – a reason that the rest of us may never know – is a compelling mystery.

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From a distance, this structure looks like just another winding, looping roller coaster. But look a little closer and you’ll see that all is not as it appears. This roller coaster is actually a fantastical staircase: a human-scale outdoor sculpture that just begs to be walked by visitors.

(all images via: Dezeen)

The sculpture is called Tiger and Turtle – Magic Mountain. Created by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth, the sculpture opened to the public on November 13, 2011. It sits atop a high hill in Duisburg, Germany, offering visitors the chance to take a walk 29 meters (almost 70 feet) above the ground.

From its perch on the hill, the massive sculpture offers an exceptional view of the surrounding area and a unique pedestrian experience for those who dare to tread so far above the soil. The elaborately winding and swooping staircase has access points where it touches the ground, allowing visitors to climb on and experience the strange sensation of exploring the elevated walkway.

The carnival rides on which the sculpture is based typically draw crowds based on their thrill-inducing loops. But for the Tiger and Turtle sculpture, the central loop is a hindrance to travel rather than a thrilling part of it. The very presence of the loop makes it impossible for one to walk the entire length of the structure.

The sculpture’s rather unusual name comes from the changing perceptions one experiences while drawing nearer and nearer to the structure. At first, from a distance, it appears to be a thrill ride that zips passengers around at dizzying speeds. But upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the pace of this particular “ride” is far more relaxed.

According to the sculptors, there is another, more serious story behind the Tiger and Turtle title. It refers to the simultaneous speed and deadlock of progress in the surrounding area with regards to environmental reform. Although there is a valuable message in the sculpture, if one chooses it can still be enjoyed on a superficial level – which is what makes public art so fun.

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Ordinarily we hear of artists trying to make art more accessible to the public, but this is one time an artist has purposely placed his work in an out-of-the-way place. After diving to view the world’s second largest artificial reef in 2010, artist Andreas Franke decided to turn the artificial reef – a sunken ship – into an underwater art gallery.

all images via: Staudinger-Franke

Franke is a photographer who favors surreal scenes and dreamlike worlds. He was impressed by the otherworldly quality of the underwater ship, the Vandenberg. After diving to see it, he began to form a plan for a one-of-a-kind exhibit.

The artist took photos of the landscape inside the Vandenberg, documenting the day-to-day scenes aboard the 523-foot-long ship. He then added people to these scenes, bringing a new form of life to the underwater stage.

“Life Below the Surface” inserts humans into the underwater scenes you would expect to see in a sunken ship. Seemingly perfectly comfortable in their watery environment, the people in Franke’s photos go about their daily business just as the rest of us do on dry land.

The photos featured in the exhibition show scenes from a time long ago. Children play, a housewife hangs laundry out to dry and the other characters enjoy their daily activities, none of them the least bit alarmed that they are surrounded by water, fish and the rusting hulk of an old military ship.

The Vandenberg military ship is located 100 feet below the surface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about seven miles south of Key West. The Andreas Franke “Life Below the Surface” exhibit features 12 photographs encased in watertight Plexiglass and attached to the side of the Vandenberg with strong magnets, ensuring that there will be no damage when the pictures are removed.

Divers who want to visit the exhibition are able to charter boats from Key West to take them to the Vandenberg site. The peaceful scenes depicted in the exhibition are made even more surreal by the environment in which they sit.

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