A little- known suburb in Selangor, Malaysia, has made it to the world’s 40 coolest neighbourhoods!
Time Out’s latest revelation of top 40 coolest neighbourhoods around the world saw Taman Paramount located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, at the 36th spot. Other South-east Asian neighbourhoods listed are Bugis in Singapore and Banjar Nagi, Ubud, in Bali, Indonesia.
The neighbourhoods were picked for their right balance of great local culture, food and fun with support and kindness for their communities during the turmoil for 2020.
Since 2018, the annual list has been collated from the opinions of locals via the annual Time Out Index survey of over 38,000 global city residents, answering where they most loved spending their time out around their city.
To rank the list this year, Time Out's global network of editors and experts factored in not just great vibes, food, drink, nightlife and independent culture, but also community spirit, praising the neighbourhoods where people showed unconditional love and support for the communities and local businesses who represent the soul of the city.
James Manning, International Editor of Time Out, said: "With global travel in disarray, this year our annual list of the world's coolest neighbourhoods is less about planning your next trip and more about celebrating the hotspots that are pointing the way forward for city life.
“In tough times, neighbourhoods are more important than ever – and these are places where the soul of the city is on full display, thanks to independent businesses, local culture and community initiatives. Consider this list a worldwide shout-out to the strength, spirit and resilience of city-dwellers."
The neighbourhood which reached the number one spot, being named the coolest neighbourhood in the world, is Esquerra de l'Eixample in Barcelona. Despite its image as a residential part of the Catalan capital, it has shown incredible community spirit in 2020 with neighbourhood initiatives like the Hidrogel Sessions, in which neighbours organised mass dance parties on their balconies during lockdown. It's also home to a number of vital gathering spaces, like the community-run Espai Germanetes garden.
In Malaysia, Taman Paramount has made it to the list with its offerings of delicious food. Among them are O&S coffee shop, Sunrise Roast Duck, Thong Kee and many others to fill your tummy with scrumptious Malaysian delights!
Time Out is encouraging city-dwellers to share their favourite neighbourhood spots through #LoveLocal.
Read the full list at timeout.com/coolest-neighbourhoods
1. Esquerra De L'Eixample, Barcelona 2. Downtown, LA 3. Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong 4. Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York 5. Yarraville, Melbourne 6. Wedding, Berlin 7. Shaanxi Bei Lu/Kangding Lu, Shanghai 8. Dennistoun, Glasgow 9. Haut-Marais, Paris 10. Marrickville, Sydney 11. Verdun, Montreal 12. Kalamaja, Tallinn 13. Hannam-dong, Seoul 14. Bonfim, Porto 15. Ghosttown, Oakland 16. Chula-Samyan, Bangkok 17. Alvalade, Lisbon 18. Noord, Amsterdam 19. Centro, São Paulo 20. Holešovice, Prague 21. Lavapiés, Madrid 22. Opebi, Lagos 23. Narvarte, Mexico City 24. Uptown, Chicago 25. Little Five Points, Atlanta 26. Wynwood, Miami 27. Phibsboro, Dublin 28. Nørrebro, Copenhagen 29. Bugis, Singapore 30. Gongguan, Taipei 31. Soho, London 32. Binh Tanh, Ho Chi Minh City 33. Melville, Johannesburg 34. Kabutocho, Tokyo 35. Porta Venezia, Milan 36. Taman Paramount, Kuala Lumpur 37. Allston, Boston 38. Bandra West, Mumbai 39. Arnavutköy, Istanbul 40. Banjar Nagi, Ubud