ruins photography, sometimes called ruin porn, is a recent movement in photography that takes the decline of the built-environment (cities, buildings, infrastructure) as its subject. while "ruins" may be broadly defined as the remnants, or residue of human achievement from the temples of ancient sumer to machu picchu, ruins photography refers specifically to the capture of urban decay and decline in the post-industrial zones of the world. ruins photography aestheticizes the abandonment and decline of the city most of all, and has sparked conversations about the role of art in various revitalization and restoration projects from detroit to berlin.