London (CNN) – We’ve all spent this year more time than expected in our neighborhoods.
While lockdown and safety measures have severely affected our city centers, local communities have been thriving in many places.
Declaring that “it’s great to be kind,” the magazine’s focus this year is on places where neighborhood is king, and communities and companies have come together and thrived during these difficult years.
Here are the top 10.
10. Marikville, Sydney
Time Out says the sheer variety of offerings is the key to Marrickville’s success.
Marrickville has no monopoly on the Australian calm, though: there is another Australian entry later in the top ten.
9. Haute-Marais, Paris
Not to be confused with the proper Marais – it’s fun, of course, but it’s touristy, dear – Haut-Marais is the bleeding northern tip of this historic district.
8. Denniston, Glasgow
The highest point in Alexandra Park offers views north of Mount Ben Lomond.
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At the eastern end of town, on the edge of Nichropolis – the Victorian-built “City of the Dead” in Glasgow – Dennistoun’s historically working-class neighborhood has seen an increase in the number of young students in recent years.
“However, the wave of redevelopment is slowly coming,” says Time Out, “and its charming residences with blonde stones and red sandstones remain within reach of most people.”
The editors singled out Zero Waste Market, which is “a grocery store that repackages staples during shutdown,” and Alexandra Park’s Food Forest: “where locals of all backgrounds meet to grow and grow.”
7. Shaanxi Bai Lu / Kangding Lu, Shanghai
This neighborhood that was once part of Shanghai International Settlement – a western enclave until 1941 – was “fast becoming a bustling destination of new cafes, bars and restaurants,” says Time Out.
6. The Berlin Wedding
No, don’t brain wear wedding dresses. The wedding is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the German capital.
Although the city is known to be a 24-hour party venue, the side streets of the wedding are quiet enough to ensure you get a good night’s sleep once you finish hitting the beer halls.
In the daytime, you can enjoy the great outdoors at Lake Plötzensee and Woodspark Rehberge.
5. Yaraville, Melbourne
Yaraville: “The cross-section of the food, drink and things to do here is really cool,” says Time Out.
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The lockdown may have put Melbourne’s cultural scene dormant, but, as Time Out says, “Melbourne’s community spirit has never been stronger, and the neighborhood that best embodies it is the western suburb of Yaraville.”
Skater Belle Hadiwidjaja was snowboarding around the neighborhood in a range of costumes to keep families entertained on their day outings, while local Lee Smith-Moir cheered residents by adding “happy signs” to the area’s hiking trails.
4. Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York
This Brooklyn neighborhood of Victorian brownstones has become, according to Time Out, “New York’s greatest incubator of the future.”
During the Black Lives Matter protests, it served as a major hub, and when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the city, “mutual aid networks such as the Bed-Stuy Strong were born to protect its most vulnerable members.”
3. Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Sham Shui Po is one of Hong Kong’s oldest working-class neighborhoods. Its rustic feel attracts creative spirits, from street artists to coffee artists.
CNN Travel launched the name again in 2018, when it described this working-class neighborhood, whose rustic character drew creative souls from street artists to coffee artists, as “the new cultural capital of Hong Kong”.
2. Downtown, Los Angeles
“This has become the most painful year in modern Los Angeles history, and in a city where there is no single central gathering place, Downtown has become its supportive spirit,” Time Out says.
In this rising city center, the assembled residents were shocked to mourn the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
And here Angelino came to hear their voices after the death of George Floyd. “It was not without strife,” says Time Out, “but there was a tangible trend towards unity on the day that thousands poured into the streets of Downtown.”
1. Esquerra de l’Eixample, Barcelona
The Catlan Ildefons Cerdà Drive was a pioneer of urban planning.
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Eixample is a Catalan language for ‘expansion’ and this sprawling neighborhood, in a strict grid pattern, is divided into two distinct parts: the luxurious and touristy Dreta de l’Eixample, and the more realistic residential area, Esquerra de l’Eixample.
“During Barcelona’s strict lockdown, the residential squares of Esquerra became” focal points of the city’s energy – as in the Hidrogel pop-up sessions, where residents dressed up and organized group dance parties from the balconies.
Time Out’s complete list of the 40 Greatest Neighborhoods
1. Esquerra de l’Eixample, Barcelona
2. Downtown, Los Angeles
3. Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
4. Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York
5. Yaraville, Melbourne
6. The Berlin Wedding
7. Shaanxi Bai Lu / Kangding Lu, Shanghai
8. Denniston, Glasgow
9. Haute-Marais, Paris
10. Marikville, Sydney
11. Verdun, Montreal
12. Kalamaga, Tallinn
13. Hannam-dong, Seoul
14. Bonfim, Porto
15. Justtown, Auckland
16. Shula Samyan, Bangkok
17. Alvalade, Lisbon
18. North, Amsterdam
19. Centro, Sao Paulo
20. Holeshovice, Prague
21. Lavabes, Madrid
22. Obibi, Lagos
23. Narvarte, Mexico City
24. Uptown, Chicago
25. Little Five Points, Atlanta
26. Winwood, Miami
27. Phippsboro, Dublin
28. Nørrebro, Copenhagen
29- Bugis, Singapore
30. Gongguan, Taipei
31. Soho, London
32. Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City
33. Melville, Johannesburg
34. Kabutucho, Tokyo
35. Porta Venezia, Milan
36. Paramount Park, Kuala Lumpur
37. Alston, Boston
38. Bandra West, Mumbai
39. Arnavutkoy, Istanbul
40. Beet Nagi, Ubud
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