Social isolation is rising
Loneliness is one of the greatest public-health challenges in municipal social planning. Digital infrastructure that fosters real encounters is no longer optional, it is a core responsibility.
For cities and municipalities
Vibrant neighbourhoods. Measurable social impact.
Close connects citizens with local initiatives, meeting places and activities in their neighbourhood, and makes visible where social participation grows.
Stadtwerk Nördlingen·Sozialmonitoring
ÜbersichtStadtteilePartizipationaktualisiert vor 2 Min
Sozial-Index
6.9/10
+0.4 ggü. VJ
Aktive Initiativen
74
+12 / Mo
Events / Woche
18
+6 ggü. VJ
Partizip.-Score
A-
↑ von B
Stadtteile · Aktivierung
Stadtmitte72%
Nordviertel58%
Südstadt84%
Westend61%
Tagesrhythmus · Aktivierung
↑ +22% Vorperiode7h9h12h15h17h19h
MoDiMiDoFrSaSo
Partizipationsscore
A-↑ von B
Soziale Infrastruktur · Bestand
76%
68%
82%
18
Events / Wo
82%
Raumauslast.
37
Initiativen
Q3 ✓
Bericht
Signale
↑+8 Anmeldungen · Bürgertreff Nordviertel●Lesezirkel Stadtmitte · neue Gruppe✓Sozialindex ↑ +0.3 · dieser Monat
Why this makes sense for municipalities
Social infrastructure is a public duty, and can now be measured.
Volunteering structures are eroding
Structures for civic engagement are weakening. Municipalities need tools that strengthen existing initiatives and make new ones visible.
Social planning without data
Neighbourhood development often relies on incomplete information. Where encounters happen is barely measurable, Close provides aggregated signals without individual tracking.
Funding requires proof of impact
Social infrastructure is financed project by project. Municipalities that can demonstrate impact secure funding and build stronger arguments.
Digital participation as a core duty
Close creates access to neighbourhood life for people without smartphones, via web, without any app requirement.
„Soziale Teilhabe entsteht nicht von selbst, aber sie lässt sich ermöglichen.“
Digitale Infrastruktur für kommunale Sozialräume
What Close does for municipalities
Digital infrastructure for vibrant neighbourhoods
Close connects neighbourhood actors, meeting places and local initiatives on a shared platform. Citizens discover activities, spaces become visible and bookable, and the administration receives measurable signals about social activity in the social district.
Platform for citizens
Residents discover initiatives, meeting places and events directly in their neighbourhood, low threshold and without any app requirement.
Making places and spaces visible
Public and semi-public spaces, gathering points and community venues receive digital profiles, findable, bookable, connected.
Initiative map
Local associations, groups and volunteer initiatives become visible and can be targeted for support and networking.
Coordinator dashboard
Social district coordinators see activity, spaces and initiatives at neighbourhood level at a glance, and can intervene selectively.
Participation index
Aggregated signals on social activity at neighbourhood level, GDPR-compliant and usable for social planning.
Funding and impact report
Periodic reports for social district funding, grant applications and political reporting, exportable.
Value
What municipalities actually gain
Make social infrastructure measurable
Close provides aggregated data on activity, initiatives and space usage at neighbourhood level, a basis for social planning and funding decisions.
Initiatives visible and networked
Volunteer structures become accessible to more people through Close, without any extra effort from the initiatives themselves.
Participation evidence for funders
Municipalities that can prove impact secure funding and build stronger arguments with grant-making bodies.
Coordination without extra workload
Coordinators reach more citizens with less effort. Close multiplies their reach without increasing their working hours.
Engaging older residents
For older citizens, Close offers low-threshold access to neighbourhood life, without app download, without mandatory registration.
Use cases
Typical use cases for municipalities
Social district development
Municipalities use Close to understand activity in defined social districts and strengthen them selectively.
New residential areas and urban development
New districts can be equipped with social infrastructure from the start, community first as a planning principle.
Volunteering and civic engagement
Engagement structures become visible and reachable, for people who want to get involved and for coordinators.
Grant applications and proof of impact
Close provides data as a foundation for social district funding and grant applications.
Collaboration with welfare organisations
Caritas, AWO, Diakonie and other providers can contribute activities through the same platform.
Demographics and older residents
Accessible access to neighbourhood life for older citizens.
Migration and participation
Activities for people with a migration background become visible as part of inclusive social infrastructure.
Municipal sustainability reporting
Social activity becomes measurable as a contribution to SDG reporting.
Platform logic
Built to fit municipal administrative structures
Close reflects the structure of municipal social districts: the administration or a lead organisation as the overarching unit, neighbourhoods as the operational level, initiatives and citizens as the content layer.
Layer 1
Administration or lead organisation
The administration manages the full platform, controls access permissions and receives reporting at neighbourhood level.
Layer 2
Neighbourhood or social district
Individual neighbourhoods or action areas receive their own visibility zones with local activities and meeting places.
Layer 3
Initiatives, places and community
Local associations, coordinators and citizen groups maintain content and activate community in their area.
Reporting & data
Prove social impact, for planning, funding and policy
Close does not collect personal behavioural data. All signals are aggregated, anonymised and evaluated at neighbourhood level, a privacy-compliant tool for municipal social planning.
Social index
6.9
Activity and connection signal per neighbourhood
Active initiatives
74
Associations, groups and volunteer initiatives
Participation rate
38%
Citizens with regular participation
Participation score
A-
Validated input for grant applications and reporting
Pilot
Start with a pilot in one neighbourhood
A Close pilot begins in a clearly defined social district. The goal is to make existing initiatives and meeting places visible and gather measurable signals on social participation. Close pilots are typically funded through municipal budgets, grant programmes or provider funding we clarify in a first conversation which model fits your situation.
Enquire about a pilotDefine the social district
Neighbourhood, target groups, meeting places and local actors are determined together.
Set up the platform
Places, initiatives and coordinator access are configured, within days.
Activate citizens
First activities become visible and are communicated by coordinators.
Review signals
Monthly reports show activity and social inclusion in the social district.
Decide on expansion
After the pilot: a clear picture of impact, effort and potential.
Close is not a surveillance tool for citizens
Close does not collect individual behavioural data. Citizens decide for themselves whether and how they use the platform. Municipalities receive aggregated signals, no tracking of individuals, no behavioural profiles.
FAQ
Common questions
Which municipalities is Close suited to?
Cities and municipalities of any size that invest in social district work. A particularly good fit are municipalities with existing neighbourhood management or social district coordination.
Can Close be used within funding programmes such as "Soziale Stadt"?
Yes. Close is designed as digital infrastructure for social district development and can be embedded in existing funding programmes.
How is Close operated in compliance with data protection law?
Close does not collect personal behavioural data. All signals are aggregated. Citizens can use the platform without registration.
What is needed to get started?
A defined social district, a contact person and existing local actors. We support the setup process.
Can Close complement existing volunteering portals?
Yes. Close is designed as a complement to existing structures, not a replacement.
How long does a pilot take?
Typically three months of active operation, with setup and onboarding in one to two weeks.
How are people without smartphones included?
Close works entirely via browser, no app download required. Coordinators can also maintain activities for people without digital devices.
Let us explore together whether Close fits your municipality.
In a first conversation we clarify social district structure, existing actors, funding context and a realistic pilot scope.
Enquire about a pilot