Medellin has added another reason for urban pride: the Perpetuo Socorro neighborhood, located in Comuna 10 (La Candelaria), was included in Time Out’s ranking of the “39 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World 2025,” becoming the only Colombian neighborhood on this prestigious international list.
In the ranking, the neighborhood takes the 15th position, which is particularly significant given the diversity of cities represented. At the top of the list is Jimbōchō in Tokyo, followed by neighborhoods such as Borgerhout (Antwerp) and Barra Funda (São Paulo). Time Out evaluates neighborhoods based on criteria such as culture, community, livability, nightlife, food, street activity, and that unique “sense of nowness.”
Why is Medellin’s Perpetuo Socorro among the coolest neighborhoods in the world?
What just a few years ago was an area dominated by auto repair shops and industrial activity has been transformed. Time Out describes Perpetuo Socorro as a neighborhood that has been “rebranded” as Medellin’s creative district, where murals, street art, cafés, bookstores, and local businesses flourish on its streets.
Perpetuo Socorro, located in the central-eastern part of Medellin, has undergone one of the city’s most remarkable urban and social transformations over the past decade. Until recently, the area was best known for its mechanical workshops, warehouses, and landmarks such as the General Hospital and the neo-Gothic church that gives the neighborhood its name. It was primarily an industrial sector with little cultural or tourist appeal, serving more as a service area than a civic meeting point.
However, starting in 2016, a reconversion process began that has led to its recognition today as a Creative District and Orange Development Area (ADN). This initiative was driven by public, private, and academic actors, including the Medellin Mayor’s Office, the company Mattelsa, Comfama, the Pontifical Bolivarian University, and the Perpetuo Socorro Corporation, created in 2018 to coordinate transformation efforts. Their goal was clear: to reimagine the neighborhood, open it to innovation, and turn it into a vibrant space for the creative industries.
In 2019, the Mayor’s Office officially declared Perpetuo Socorro Medellin’s first Creative District, granting tax benefits and incentives for cultural, design, gastronomic, and entertainment companies to settle in the area. Today, it is home to more than 40 creative enterprises generating over a thousand jobs, with new spaces emerging each year that attract both locals and national and international visitors.
@medellin_travel 🏙️✨ Esta calle del Perpetuo Socorro es muy Medellín. De un lado respira historia, con una de las iglesias más emblemáticas de la ciudad ⛪️, y al otro, el arte urbano toma vida con un mural recién intervenido 🎨. ¿Cuál es tu estilo favorito? 👀👇 #Medellín #ArteYTradición #StreetArt #culturaurbana ♬ sonido original – Medellín Travel
A transformation beyond economics
The transformation has not been only economic. Urban design has also played a key role: parks were renovated, lighting was improved, murals and street art now fill the streets with color, and environmental projects such as microforests and vertical gardens were implemented. These changes, combined with a vibrant cultural, gastronomic, and artistic life, have given the neighborhood a unique identity where the traditional and the emerging coexist.
Today, in Perpetuo Socorro, you can find everything from traditional workshops to specialty coffee shops, art galleries, independent bookstores, dance studios, theaters, and innovative dining spaces. Iconic projects such as the Mattelsa building, with its eco-friendly concept that blends fashion, coffee, bookstore, and gallery, or Casa de Carlota, an inclusive design studio that works with artists with intellectual disabilities, symbolize this renewal. Even housing initiatives such as Bodega Habitat are beginning to mark the area’s future, anticipating a transition toward a neighborhood with more residential and cultural offerings.
This metamorphosis is what led Time Out to include Perpetuo Socorro in its list of the 39 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World 2025, where it ranks 15th. The recognition not only highlights the cultural and creative dynamism of the area but also underscores Medellin’s ability to reinvent its urban spaces and create new hubs of tourism and community life.
@luisefe.videos Barrio El Perpetuo Socorro Medellín #colombia🇨🇴 #medellin #antioquia #colombianosenelexterior #paisaje #drone #djiair3 #videoaereo #metrodemedellin #riomedellin #estacionindustriales #centrodemedellin #eternaprimavera #elperpetuosocorro ♬ sonido original – LUISEFE VIDEOS