Urban photos of the year – in pictures

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Fire in Valparaiso, umbrellas in Hong Kong, a wall of snow towering over Buffalo … here are 13 of the most powerful images from cities around the world in 2014


  • A fire in Valparaiso, Chile on 12 April 2014. Authorities decreed a red alert for the area after the fire consumed more than 100 houses
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    A fire in Valparaiso, Chile. Authorities decreed a red alert for the area after the fire consumed more than 100 houses


  • Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk in Damascus, Syria queue for food on 31 January
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    Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk, queuing to receive food supplies, in Damascus, Syria, 31 January


  • A pillar of light shoots into the London sky to commemorate the first world war. The work, entitled Spectra, was created by Japanese sound and light artist Ryoji Ikeda
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    Spectra, a pillar of light shoots into the London sky to commemorate the first world war, by Japanese sound and light artist Ryoji Ikeda. Viewed from Vertigo 42 produced and presented by Artangel. Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and the Mayor of London


  • Pro-democracy protesters open their umbrellas on 28 October for 87 seconds, marking the 87 rounds of tear gas that were fired by the Hong Kong police at unarmed student protesters in the same location one month previously
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    Pro-democracy protesters open their umbrellas for 87 seconds, marking the 87 rounds of tear gas that were fired by the Hong Kong police at unarmed student protesters in exactly the same location one month ago, at the Admiralty protest zone, Hong Kong, 28 October


  • World champion Christian Sprenger of Australia swims during a lesson for children with special needs on the rooftop pool of the Marina Bay Sands resort hotel, Singapore, on 20 May
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    World Champion Christian Sprenger of Australia swims during a swimming clinic session for children with special needs on the rooftop pool of the Marina Bay Sands resort hotel in Singapore. 20 May


  • Fans arrive before the start of the first outdoor hockey game held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, between the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on 25 January
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    Fans arrive before the start of an NHL outdoor hockey game at Dodger Stadium between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks in Los Angeles, 25 January


  • A woman stands near a makeshift memorial on 24 February in homage to anti-government protesters killed in clashes with riot police in Kiev’s Independence Square
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    A woman stands near a makeshift memorial in homage to anti-government protesters killed in the past weeks' clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square, February 24


  • The new Markthal in Rotterdam became the first indoor fresh food market in the Netherlands, and contains 228 apartments in the walls and roof
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    The new Markthal in Rotterdam, Netherlands


  • A train passes through slums in central Dhaka, with the buildings of the Karwan Bazaar district rising up in the background, on 18 March
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    A view across the track-side slums in central Dhaka, with the buildings of the Karwan Bazaar district rising up in the background, 18 March


  • A wall of snow looms over Buffalo and Lake Erie, New York on 18 November. The autumn blizzard dumped a year’s worth of snow in three days
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    Storm clouds and snow over Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York. An autumn blizzard dumped a year's worth of snow in three days on western New York state, 18 November


  • Nik Wallenda walks blindfolded on a high wire between the Marina towers in Chicago, Illinois, more than 500ft in the air, on 2 November
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    Chicago, Illinois Nik Wallenda walks blindfolded on a high wire between the Marina towers more than 500 feet in the air


  • Taxis blockade Whitehall in London on 11 June, in protest against the Uber taxi app
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    Taxis blockade Whitehall in London, England. London's licensed black taxi drivers are campaigning against the introduction of the 'Uber' taxi smartphone app, 11 June


  • People cluster around a TV to watch the World Cup match between Brazil and the Netherlands at Mare favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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    People watch the FIFA World Cup 2014 match between Brazil and the Netherlands at Mare complex shantytown (favela) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,