Advertisement

Grim story behind incredible photo of towering apartment block

It’s a skyscraper that would leave Toronto’s tallest structure, the 553-metre CN Tower, in its shadows.

In fact, it would be significantly taller than the world’s largest building, Dubai’s 830-metre Burj Khalifa.

But while such towers that dominate the skyline of the world’s largest cities are reserved for a select, privileged group of people, the designers of the ‘Unignorable Tower’ have a completely different vision for its inhabitants.

And while the likelihood of such an impressive, 1478-metre tower ever being constructed is very slim, non-profit community organisation United Way wants to use the designs as stark reminder of one of Toronto’s escalating problems.

A design of the Unignorable Tower in Toronto's CBD.
If built, the Unignorable Tower would easily be the biggest in the world. Source: United Way

The reason the structure towers well above any other building in the Canadian city is because it has been designed to house every single person living in poverty in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) – a staggering 116,000 people.

The damning image is meant to remind Canadians – and the rest of the world – the problem it represents is a real issue affecting not only Toronto but other major cities and regions across the globe.

"Poverty is a big problem in the GTA. But we've got a strong network to tackle it and a region of people ready to show their local love," United Greater Way Toronto president Daniele Zanotti said.

NSW poverty closing in on one million

The unveiling of the Unignorable Tower comes as a new study revealed more than 888,000 people are living below the poverty line in NSW, with about one in six children affected and women worse off than men.

A study from the NSW Council of Social Service and the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling uses the most recent census data for the 2015/16 financial year.

It found more than 16 per cent of NSW children are living in poverty, while women make up 53.6 per cent of all people over 15 living below the poverty line.

People living outside Sydney are more likely to be living in poverty.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and disabled people experience double the rate of significant economic disadvantage than the general population.

Unemployed people are much more likely to be living in poverty but about five per cent of full-time workers are also disadvantaged.

A homeless person sleeping with their belongings in Sydney's Martin Place.
Sydney has a large homeless population. Source: AAP

Anna Bacik, from NCOSS, says it is "entirely possible" the figures will be even higher now, due to low wages and the ongoing effect of the drought in regional areas.

"It is pretty clear from everything we read that that is having an ongoing cost to communities, socially and economically," she said.

The area of highest disadvantage is Guildford/South Granville in Sydney's southwest, with a poverty rate of 28.3 per cent.

This is followed by the nearby Ashcroft/Busby/Miller (27.7 per cent) and Fairfield (27.4 per cent) areas, and the Shortland/Jesmond area in the Hunter (27 per cent).

Researchers hope the detailed statistics released last week, and accompanied by interactive maps, can inform future policy.

St Vincent de Paul's Carmel Hanson said she was pleased to see an emphasis on the need for social housing in the report.

"Housing is a human right, shelter is a human right and I certainly urge our state politicians to determine that they will increase the number of social housing," Ms Hanson told reporters in Sydney.

With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.