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The 20 Best North American Districts, Downtowns, and Neighborhoods

Here are our picks. Now it's your turn to select the best spots to live, work, and hang out.

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here's nothing in this world more subjective than rating neighborhoods. One man's peaceful enclave is another man's Dullsville. The hoppin' heart of the city that thrills the soul of one woman, would drive another insane. But great neighborhoods everywhere do have some things in common, which we detail in this issue of Making Places.

We decided to brave the storm of reader reactions by drafting a list of what we think are the best neighborhoods across North America (at least some of them). You won't completely agree, we know. That's why we're doing it.


Granville Island tops our list of the best neighborhoods and districts in North America.

The linked items below are already posted in the new "Neighborhoods and Districts" category on our Great Public Spaces website. We are working on creating listings for the rest. If you know one of these places well, feel free to submit a write-up or a comment for us. If you don't see your favorite neighborhood or district on this list, nominate yours to share with our online community.

  1. Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia
  2. East Village, New York, NY:

    3. The East Village


  3. North Beach, San Francisco, CA
  4. Camden, ME
  5. Coyoacan, Mexico City
  6. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA
  7. The Plateau, Montreal, Quebec
  8. Kensington Market, Toronto, Ontario:

    9. Kensington Market


  9. Center City, Ponce, Puerto Rico
  10. Fells Point, Baltimore, MD
  11. Lower Garden District, New Orleans, LA
  12. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL
  13. Lake Street, Oak Park, IL
  14. NW 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR
  15. South Beach, Miami, FL
  16. Federal Hill, Providence, RI
  17. Downtown Northfield, MN
  18. Chautauqua, NY
  19. Venice Beach, CA:

    20. Venice Beach

  20. Adams Morgan, Washington, DC


Around the world in 20 places

A few of our favorite neighborhoods abroad

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hese are some of the great districts overseas that came up in an informal polling of the well-traveled PPS staff. They offer insight and inspiration about how to create great places anywhere in the world. Let us know your favorite spots around the world by making a recommendation for the new "Neighborhoods and Districts" category on Great Public Spaces.

  • Arbat Street, Moscow
  • Asafra Beach, Alexandria, Egypt
  • Downtown Christchurch, New Zealand:

    • Downtown Christchurch

  • Fez Souk, Fez, Morocco
  • Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
  • Le Marais, Paris, France
  • Miraflores, Lima, Peru:

    • Miraflores


  • Muslim Quarter, Kunming, China
  • Neal’s Yard, London, England
  • Old City, Dubrovnik, Croatia
  • Old City, Krakow, Poland
  • Old Delhi, India:

    • Old Delhi


  • Old Havana, Cuba
  • Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Pedestrian Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Pedestrian Center, Freiburg, Germany
  • Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland:

    • Temple Bar


  • Yemenite Quarter and the Carmel Market, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Weekend Women's Market, La Paz, Bolivia
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Purple Places Majesty

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What If We Built Our Cities Around Places?

PPS announces its new Great Cities Initiative, which applies the principles of placemaking to entire cities.

The 20 Best Neighborhoods in North America

Here are our picks. Now it's your turn to select the best spots to live, work, and hang out. Plus: A few of our favorite neighborhoods abroad.

Granville Island: One of the World's Great Places

In the heart of Vancouver, this lively mix of arts, parks, and markets leads off our new hall of fame for great neighborhoods and districts.

The Power of Ten

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Cities of Joy

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A Tale of Two Cities

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News from PPS

Announcing a new book by PPS Board member and former Congressman Richard Swett. And -- from Seattle to New Jersey to Eastern Europe -- read about how PPS is turning around places across the globe.

Park Talk

Read what people had to say about our choices for the world's best and worst parks. Plus: The National Park Service and the Downtown DC BID team up to improve public spaces in the capital.

The Place Poll

Tell us what you think of the latest batch of nominations for Great Public Spaces.

Public Voices

A reader dissects our city commentaries and poses the question: Is the quality of a place simply a matter of taste?

Places in the News

See which public spaces made headlines in October and November.


What makes great neighborhoods? Great downtowns? Great districts?

Great neighborhoods and districts succeed because of the good smaller places within them, which added together equal more than the sum of the parts. It is these small spots that define a place and reveal the richness and depth of its social life.

The best neighborhoods and downtowns, whether Camden, Maine, or Coyoacan in Mexico City, emerge when communities are guided first and foremost by a vision of what they want to see in public spaces and the things they would like to do there. Great neighborhoods are rarely shaped by big developments, master plans, design standards, streetscape improvements, or a district management agenda.

Nearly every neighborhood has the capacity to evolve into a good place. This happens when local people feel a growing sense of ownership, which extends beyond property lines to include informal partnerships with others living in the area.


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