Due to its proximity to the city centre, but also to larger green spaces, it is a popular residential area with old buildings of the Gründerzeit period.

The fact that it is particularly preferred by young people is explained in particular by the scene of advertising, cabaret and alternative developed along the Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse and the proximity of the Leipzig University.

It was established as an administrative unit when the city was divided into municipal areas in 1992 and does not fully coincide with the historic locality of Südvorstadt.

To the east, Südvorstadt is bordered by the junction of the Leipzig-Hof railway line from the Bayerischer Bahnhof; beyond, the locality Zentrum-Süd is located.

Actually, it is run by the association naTo e. V. culture and communications center and offers concerts, arthouse cinema, literary readings, theater performances, and events on political topics.

The main roads in the Südvorstadt are, in a north–south direction, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse (formerly Süd- or Adolf-Hitler-Strasse), which is considered a promenade, Arthur-Hoffmann-Strasse (formerly Bayrische Strasse), August-Bebel-Straße (formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Strasse) which is laid out as an avenue with numerous representative buildings, and Wundtstrasse as a four-lane connection to the B 2.

Nowadays, there are the ramp of the Leipzig City Tunnel and a street connection between Kurt-Eisner and Semmelweisstrasse via the Semmelweis Bridge, built between 2009 and 2010.

All lines through the city tunnel of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland (S 1 - S 6) stop at the Leipzig MDR station on the eastern edge of the locality (access via Semmelweisstrasse).