It's far too easy to visit tons of new places if housing blocks count, and that shouldn't even count as exploring anyway, since they all look pretty similar to one another (in a given area).
For instance, Marrakesh Meadow has 33 housing blocks, so I personally get 1584 experience for visiting all of them, which is quite easy, since I'm always at the "Marrakesh Meadow Quarter" sign when I appear in each block.