Why Newcastle’s Ouseburn has been named as one of the ‘coolest’ places to live on the planet

Ouseburn has been named as the 29th coolest neighbourhood in the world, which is really something to shout about given the stiff competition.

So what makes a neighbourhood cool? Well NewcastleWorld spoke to the people behind the list, Time Out, to find out what it was they and so many other people love about Ouseburn.

When looking for the coolest neighbourhoods, a few things are taken into consideration, including what that place has to offer in terms culture, arts, nightlife, and food and drink. Time Out are also looking for hidden gems, and forward thinking places that are working towards a better future for residents and visitors.

The Biscuit Factory, Cobalt studios and This is tomorrow also impressed the editors, cementing Ouseburn as one of the most exciting places to be right now in the UK.

Since 2018, Time Out’s annual list of the World’s Coolest Neighbourhoods has been collated using the experiences and opinions of thousands of locals in hundreds of cities around the world via the annual Time Out Index survey, combined with the expertise of Time Out’s international network of local editors and city experts. This year, more than 27,000 city-dwellers around the world were asked to nominate their city’s coolest, most underrated and most culturally exciting neighbourhood. To create and rank the final list, Time Out’s local expert editors and writers rated neighbourhoods for great vibes, food, drink, nightlife, emerging culture, community spirit and resilience. They also considered sustainability and innovative green initiatives along with other quality-of-life factors that promote stress-free living.

Caroline McGinn, Global Editor-in-Chief of Time Out, said: “Time Out’s annual list of the World’s Coolest Neighbourhoods is a love letter to the city at its most joyful and surprising. It celebrates the hyperlocal places where the cities of the future are being made up, on the spot. In the last 12 months, grassroots community culture has been vital to preserving the health and optimism of city-dwellers and the restaurants, bars, galleries and culture spots that make cities such a crucible of invention and social life. It’s been inspiring to see how much energy there is in these areas, where communities have come together, hung out and made new stuff, as well as supported other businesses and each other. You’ve probably never heard of most of the neighbourhoods on the list but these are places where a ‘better normal’ is emerging. I can’t wait to visit.”