The size of a neighborhood on nebenan.de varies depending on the region; in cities like Berlin, it includes 1,500 to 6,000 households, with an ideal size of 3,000 to 5,000. In rural areas, smaller neighborhoods starting from 1,000 households are common. The boundaries and names of the neighborhoods are coordinated with the first members to promote identification and a sense of community.
This depends greatly on the geographical and structural conditions. In a large city like Berlin with large apartment buildings, a neighborhood can include 1,500 to 6,000 households. In rural regions, a neighborhood can sometimes be smaller. What is important is that it is a naturally grown neighborhood as much as possible.
Our experience has shown that neighborhoods on nebenan.de work best in cities with 3,000 to 5,000 households. In villages, municipalities, and small towns, neighborhoods are often smaller as well. However, there should be at least 1,000 households. If neighborhoods are smaller, often not enough life develops in the neighborhood, and if neighborhoods are too large, residents at one end no longer identify with those at the other end.
Of course, some residents perceive their neighborhood as larger or smaller than this guideline, depending on the size of the place they live and their personal network. Drawing boundaries between neighborhoods is always a compromise, as we have to ensure that all neighborhoods have an appropriate size and that residents can identify with each other.
Therefore, if you want to expand your radius, you can also activate adjacent neighborhoods. How to do this can be found here.
We define the boundaries of the neighborhood in consultation with the first registered residents from the respective area. So, if a registration occurs in a neighborhood that is not yet active, we get in touch with the person to coordinate the boundaries of the neighborhood. The nebenan.de boundaries usually do not coincide with the official boundaries of places. It is more about where residents feel they belong and activating the local sense of community as well as the happenings in the immediate surroundings.
By the way, the name for your neighborhood is chosen as follows:
Neighborhoods often already have a colloquial, common — sometimes historically established — name. If this is the case, we initially adopt this designation. However, it is always important to check with the first residents of the respective neighborhood. Does the name fit, and can the residents identify with it?
Sometimes neighborhoods lack a name. Then we look together with the first members of the neighborhood for a meaningful and identity-forming designation.