Next Neighbourhoods: Places to watch in 2021

This year’s selection features more up-and-coming locations than ever before and profiles a diverse range of urban hotspots and rural retreats. Need convincing? Our global team of residential property experts explains its picks.
Written By:
Kate Everett-Allen, Knight Frank
2 minutes to read

The events of 2020 have shone a spotlight not just on how we interact with our homes, but also the neighbourhoods where they are located. The natural environment, connectivity – both in terms of technology and community – as well as privacy, are now more important than ever.

Using our local knowledge, Knight Frank’s global teams have handpicked those markets they believe are primed for growth in a post-pandemic world. We highlight ten on the following pages but head online for our full selection of more than 40 hotspots.

Despite the turmoil, new opportunities are emerging as the way we live, work, exercise and interact is changing. Travel restrictions may be clipping the wings of prime buyers but with fewer people tethered to an office, this is likely to change with knock-on effects for second-home markets and investors globally.

Each of our locations fits into one of four categories that we know are driving purchasing decisions among our clients:

Digital Nomads

Off the beaten track maybe, but well connected for a Covid generation set free from the office:

-District 21, Upper Bukit Timah, Singapore
-Forùm, Barcelona, Spain
-Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany
-Paseo de la Direccion, Madrid, Spain
-Memorial, Houston, Texas, United States
-De Waterkant, Cape Town, South Africa
-District One, Dubai, UAE
- Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
- Port Ferdinand, Barbados, Caribbean

Value Opportunities

Everybody loves a bargain. Overlooked, but still full of potential for price growth:

- Super Cannes, Côte d’Azur, France
- Beauvallon, Côte d’Azur, France
- Champéry, Swiss Alps, Switzerland
- Via del Corso, Florence, Italy
- Scalo Porta Romana, Milan, Italy
- The Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UK
- Arganzuela, Madrid, Spain 
- Praia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal
- Shaughnessy, Vancouver, Canada
- Tigoni, Limuru, Kenya
- Nomad, New York, USA
- Les Favrands, Chamonix, French Alps

Space Hunters

We’ve never appreciated the great outdoors so much. Give yourself space to roam:

- Beachlands, Auckland, New Zealand
- Desa ParkCity, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Kai Tak, Hong Kong
- Papamoa, Tauranga, New Zealand
- Lower North Shore, Sydney, Australia
- Anières, Lake Geneva, Switzerland
- Lucca surrounds, Tuscany, Italy
- Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
- 16th arrondissement, Paris, France
- La Zagaleta, Marbella, Spain
- Quinta da Marinha, Cascais, Portugal
- North Sound, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
- Pompano Beach, Florida, United States
- Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States
- Lekki Residential Scheme 1, Lagos, Nigeria
- Entebbe, Kampala, Uganda
- Bonanza Residential Estate, Lusaka, Zambia
- East Coast Tasmania, Australia
- Notting Hill, London
- Uzès, Provence, France
- Laguna Beach, California, US

Resilient Markets

Been there, done that. Markets that have proved themselves, but still have more to give:

- Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy
- Miotoni, Nairobi, Kenya
- Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea
- Danube, Riverside, Vienna, Austria