Neighborhood Guide Maps Local Life Across Ten Megacities
A travel guide explores the neighborhoods of the ten most populated cities globally, focusing on everyday life rather than tourist attractions. In Tokyo, Yanaka is characterized by its narrow streets and traditional wooden structures, alongside the historic Yanaka Cemetery from the 1870s. Delhi's Hauz Khas Village encircles a 13th-century water reservoir, featuring a madrasa and mosque. Shanghai's Tianzifang, transformed by artists, is situated in 1930s shikumen homes. Old Dhaka's Shakhari Bazar is home to Hindu artisans near Ahsan Manzil, built in 1872. São Paulo's Vila Madalena is famous for its Beco do Batman murals, while Coyoacán in Mexico City contains the Museo Frida Kahlo. Cairo's Al-Muizz Street, a UNESCO site since 1979, connects Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuweila. Beijing's hutongs maintain Yuan-dynasty courtyards, Mumbai's Bandra showcases Portuguese bungalows, and Osaka's Shinsekai is centered around Tsutenkaku Tower.
Key facts
- Ten cities anchor the guide: Tokyo, Dhaka, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Mexico City, São Paulo and Osaka.
- Yanaka survived both the 1923 earthquake and World War Two firebombing, preserving pre-war Tokyo's narrow lanes and low wooden buildings.
- Hauz Khas Village's reservoir was built under Sultan Alauddin Khilji and later restored by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who added a madrasa, mosque and tomb.
- Tianzifang's shikumen complex, originally called Zhicheng Fang, was built in 1933 and renovated into a commercial district from around 2000.
- Shakhari Bazar artisans hand-carve shakha conch-shell bangles in Old Dhaka, the 17th-century Mughal city founded as Jahangirnagar.
- UNESCO listed Islamic Cairo, including Al-Muizz Street, as a World Heritage Site in 1979; the street runs between Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuweila.
- Osaka's Shinsekai opened in 1912 with a Paris- and Coney Island-inspired layout and a Luna Park that ran until 1923; Tsutenkaku Tower was rebuilt in 1956 at 103 meters.
- Museo Casa de León Trotsky in Coyoacán preserves the house where the exiled leader was killed in 1940.
Entities
Artists
- Frida Kahlo
- Diego Rivera
- Leon Trotsky
- Hernán Cortés
- Kublai Khan
- Alauddin Khilji
- Feroz Shah Tughlaq
- Sultan Qalawun
Institutions
- Museo Frida Kahlo
- Museo Casa de León Trotsky
- UNESCO
- Yanaka Cemetery
- Nezu Shrine
- Ahsan Manzil
- Armenian Church
- Ruplal House
- Bandra Fort
- Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount
- Al-Azhar Mosque
- Khan el-Khalili
- Spa World
- Tsutenkaku Tower
- Luna Park
- Canva Images
- Unsplash
- Pexels
- Wikimedia Commons
Locations
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Yanaka
- Ueno
- Nippori
- Yanaka Ginza
- Nezu
- Sendagi
- Asakusa
- Dhaka
- Bangladesh
- Old Dhaka
- Shakhari Bazar
- Buriganga River
- Tantibazar
- Kumartuli
- Chawk Bazar
- Sadarghat
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Islamic Cairo
- Al-Muizz Street
- Bab al-Futuh
- Bab Zuweila
- Bayn al-Qasrayn
- Mumbai
- India
- Bandra
- Bandra Fort
- Castella de Aguada
- Mount Mary Church
- Bandra-Worli Sea Link
- Pali Village
- Chapel Road
- Linking Road
- Hill Road
- Bandstand Promenade
- Arabian Sea
- Beijing
- China
- Forbidden City
- Drum Tower
- Bell Tower
- Nanluoguxiang
- Houhai Lake
- Shanghai
- Tianzifang
- Taikang Road
- French Concession
- Sinan Road
- Xintiandi
- Dapuqiao
- Delhi
- Hauz Khas Village
- Hauz Khas Deer Park
- Siri
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Coyoacán
- Jardín Centenario
- Plaza Hidalgo
- Tenochtitlan
- San Ángel
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Vila Madalena
- Beco do Batman
- Pinheiros
- Vila Beatriz
- Osaka
- Shinsekai
- Janjan Yokocho
- Dobutsuen-mae
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Coney Island
Sources
- Quartz —