Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45674
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Some elements that can be clearly seen and described occur to me:

- Graffiti is common where people feel [disenfranchised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disfranchisement), it seems to form an outlet for people who feel they don't have a voice. 

- Dirt, filth is omnipresent when people don't care for the environment and people around them. This can be noted in both people's appearance, dirt on their cloths or skin and in the environment with filthy buildings and uncollected garbage piled up in out of the way spaces.

- Crowd dynamics, when people care for others crowds move smoothly around and through each other as everyone unconsciously gives way to each other and makes room. In a crowded and uncaring society people collide more often as each is going about their own business oblivious to those around them.

Certain words and turns of phrase also conjure up images of nastiness:

- Harsh, particularly when applied to textures and colours.

- Stark, when describing a contrast to better days, also when describing architecture, and also people where it is used as a synonym for severe.

- Grimy, speaks for itself.

- Sallow, when applied to both light and the appearance of people or colours.

- Organic descriptions of inorganic structures, see [China Mieville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Mi%C3%A9ville)'s descriptions of both [New Crobuzon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Crobuzon) and [Armada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bas-Lag#Armada), make the [urban] environment seem to be crumbling and inimical towards the humans co-existing with it, if done right.

One other possibility is the inclusion of gangs in the narrative, not necessarily as players in the story but as an everyday part of the background life of the setting. Gangs are more prolific when, and where, people can't get ahead in life within the official, legal, framework of society.

Original score: 10