Through the annual sociological survey conducted by the British magazine Time Out among more than 38 thousand residents of different countries, Barcelona’s La Esquerra de l’eixample was recognized as the «coolest» city block in the world. When carrying out the ranking, such criteria as good neighborly relations between local residents, developed infrastructure, the possibility of pleasant entertainment, the availability of all vital services, as well as bars, restaurants and other entertainment establishments were taken into account.
This quarter in Barcelona stands out from others for its distinctive architecture – in particular, each residential complex has its own courtyard. This allowed people living here to stay in touch with each other during the quarantine in Spain and carry various joint actions on the terraces.
La Esquerra de l’eixample was not the only Spanish representative among the 30 «coolest» neighborhoods in the world. Madrid’s Lavapiés, which was ranked the best place to live in 2018, took the 21st place, and a particular reference was made to its cultural and gastronomic diversity.
The full list of the top ten «coolest» city blocks is as follows:
- La Esquerra de l’eixample (Barcelona, Spain)
- Downtown (Los Angeles, USA)
- Sham Shui Po (Hong Kong)
- Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, USA)
- Yarraville (Melbourne, Australia)
- Wedding (Berlin, Germany)
- Shaanxi Bei Lu/Kangding Lu (Shanghai, China)
- Dennistoun (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Haut-Marais (Paris, France)
- Marrickville (Sydney, Australia).
