Together we build caring and sustainable communities

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Jennick Scheerlinck • March 24, 2025

Beyond social media: rethinking digital communication for social services in Europe

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have long been used by municipalities and social service agencies to communicate with citizens. While the...

Case study Public participation

Jennick Scheerlinck • June 6, 2024

One in five households in the municipality of Terneuzen is active on the participation platform of Hoplr

In the Dutch province of Zeeland lies the municipality of Terneuzen, with over 55,000 residents, making it the largest municipality in Zeeland by population. Situated in a unique ...

Case study Neighbourhood Concierge

Jennick Scheerlinck •

Neighbourhood Concierge in Sint-Niklaas: referring help requests quick and efficient

The importance of quick and efficient referrals Based on the "fire and forget" principle, neighborhood workers, field workers, and local care organizations in Sint-Niklaas can ...

Case study Neighbourhood Concierge

Jennick Scheerlinck • March 13, 2024

From online connections to offline encounters in Weert and Nederweert

Punt Welzijn, a service-oriented welfare organization in Weert and Nederweert, works to improve livability in the neighborhoods and encourage residents to make the most of themsel...

Case study Editor's choice Neighbourhood Concierge

Jennick Scheerlinck • August 4, 2023

[Case study] Hoplr’s solution for Independent Living at the European Social Services Conference in Malmö

The 31st edition of the European Social Services Conference (ESSC) took place in Malmö, Sweden, from 14th to 16th June 2023, with a strong focus on "Advancing Social Services: Th...

Case study Public participation

Jennick Scheerlinck • April 5, 2023

Successful launch of digital participation platform in Gemeente Terneuzen

At the beginning of April, the Municipality of Terneuzen launched their brand new online participation platform doemee.terneuzen.nl. Citizens can now participate in projects of th...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • February 15, 2023

Reaching citizens: 20 actions to increase reach on Hoplr

In some towns and municipalities, Hoplr's reach already exceeds 60% of all households In the municipalities of Oosterzele, Boechout, Haacht, Rumst, Bornem, Aartselaar and Veurn...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • February 13, 2023

Nearly 300,000 offline encounters via Hoplr in 2022: help, circular economy and neighbourhood activities

Hoplr closed 2022 with a lot of new municipalities and users on board. Together with customers old and new, we achieved milestones we definitely won't let pass us by. Such as... ...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Jennick Scheerlinck • October 14, 2022

City of Luxembourg: Community development in the face of great diversity

70,59% of City of Luxembourg’s residents are non-native With expats from 158 different countries, the City of Luxembourg’s population is one of the most diverse in the enti...

Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • October 6, 2022

Tackling the energy crisis: 9 ways local councils turned to the Hoplr neighbourhoods

"Sleepwalking from crisis to crisis," Christophe Peeters, president of the Social Services Council of Ghent, wrote in this article from De Standaard.First the pandemic. T...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts •

From crisis communication to volunteering: 38 municipalities called on the Hoplr neighbourhood

What has been happening in Ukraine affects everyone. Councils and communities everywhere are making massive efforts to provide relief. Many local councils were suddenly given new m...

Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • September 29, 2022

Matching people who need help with those who offer help with Hoplr

It may be hard to admit; but everyone needs a little help or company now and then. At the same time, both our database and research show that an astounding number of people is actu...

Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • March 31, 2022

Informal community care and longer independent living with Hoplr

It’s most seniors’ desire to live in their own homes for as long as possible. But living independently doesn’t mean ‘not needing help’. It means finding the help that all...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • February 2, 2022

Volunteering: Five reasons why a smart volunteering programme is neighbourhood-oriented

Many residents are willing and able to help the vulnerable members of their community. Local governments and organisations offer support and structure in the form of volunteering p...

Knowledge centre

Laura Geerts • January 28, 2022

What do residents expect from neighbourhood communication: 5 insights from our survey

Neighbourhood communication on Hoplr More than 120 cities and municipalities use our neighbourhood communication functionalities to reach 15% to 60% of their inhabitants immediatel...

Case study Editor's choice Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • January 19, 2022

Look out Luxembourg: Trailblazer Commune of Strassen nails its launch of Hoplr

In the summer of 2021, the Department of Integration of Strassen approached us to launch our digital neighbourhood network. With Hoplr, Strassen aims to stimulate social cohesion w...

Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • December 8, 2021

Neighbourhood stories on Hoplr: share images from past and present

As a holiday gift to our users, we launched an exciting new feature in November: neighbourhood stories. With it, we encourage users to share their meaningful photos of the neighbo...

Editor's choice Knowledge centre Public participation

Laura Geerts • October 19, 2021

Neighbourhood Scan: a neighbourhood analysis in collaboration with residents

The neighbourhood scan is a participatory measuring instrument that maps the social capital of a neighbourhood, in dialogue with its residents. This methodology is based on a few ...

Case study Editor's choice Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • October 15, 2021

Case study Municipality of Knokke-Heist: this is how services work together for varied neighbourhood communication via Hoplr (five steps)

Many different government departments deal with information that may be of value to a neighbourhood. From public health and community development to garbage collection and road wo...

Case study Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • July 9, 2021

Case study: City of Deinze supports community development and caring neighbourhoods with Hoplr

About one year after the city-wide launch of Hoplr in Deinze, 3,772 households (22.6%) have registered. Uniquely, this government's Service Dashboard is managed by the Local Commu...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • May 25, 2021

Case study: Digital neighbourhood network Hoplr on the rise in Wallonia and Brussels

Hoplr's communities are located all over Flanders. More than 2,000 neighbourhoods in Flanders' five provinces house about half a million users. But in French-speaking Belgium too,...

Case study

Laura Geerts • April 27, 2021

Case study: 5 ways the municipality of Waalwijk works on clean neighbourhoods with residents

The municipality of Waalwijk uses neighbourhood communication and citizen participation to create attractive neighbourhoods. Not only during the creation of its spatial planning. ...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts •

Case study: municipality of Opwijk on handling the corona pressure

The Hoplr neighbourhoods of Opwijk (14,900 inhabitants) celebrated their first anniversary at the end of March 2021 (with an impressive conversion rate of 27%). Since then, every ...

Laura Geerts • March 9, 2021

[PRESS RELEASE] Hoplr raises 2 million euro for further expansion

Ghent, 9 March 2021 - Belgian start-up Hoplr has just completed its third capital round for an investment of 2 million euros. Thanks to the investment funds of Belfius, Matexi and...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • January 15, 2021

ACTION PLAN – The local community is crucial for a smooth socio-economic restart post COVID-19

The world is holding its breath as vaccination strategies offer some hope, and an end to the corona era seems to be within reach. The European Commission, federal governments and ...

Laura Geerts • January 11, 2021

Start as a neighbourhood connector with Hoplr – 5 best practices

Start your Hoplr journey as a neighbourhood connectorAre you ready to make a positive impact in your neighbourhood? These first practical tips will help you successfully take on y...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • December 27, 2020

From local community to an inclusive and caring neighbourhood with Hoplr

Private neighbourhood networks encourage involvement and primary care within the local community. In addition, community workers can use Hoplr to support their field work. This wa...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • December 16, 2020

CASE STUDY: Waterloo community building pioneer of Wallonia with Hoplr

In 6 months time, more than 2,280 households (21%) registered for one of the 6 Hoplr neighbourhoods that were launched in Waterloo in early January 2020. Neighbours post an averag...

Knowledge centre Public participation

Laura Geerts • November 15, 2020

Meet citizen engagement expert Dr Jonas De Meulenaere

This year, Hoplr has been working on the expansion of the knowledge centre. This is based on three pillars: neighbourhood communication, neighbourhood care and citizen engagement....

Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • November 13, 2020

Hoplr connects help offers and requests through new neighbourhood help functionalities

In a caring neighbourhood, residents can count on each other for small - and sometimes larger - help requests. The neighbourhood is an important link within a person's care net...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • November 4, 2020

Case study: municipality of Zele leads by example and gets the most out of Hoplr

The municipality of Zele (>20,000 inhabitants) aims to use Hoplr to its full potential. They're doing this by connecting a multitude of departments to the dashboard, involving ...

Case study Public participation

Laura Geerts • October 20, 2020

Case Study: city of Halle consults citizens at street level with verified survey

Last year, the city of Halle received multiple reports about the traffic situation in a number of streets in Lembeek. There were five possible solutions. To determine the best pos...

Laura Geerts • August 26, 2020

Hoplr’s social impact on Belgium’s biggest cities: Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent

Now that Hoplr is gaining international interest, local governments all over the world are asking us: ‘What is the effect of Hoplr on big cities?’. To kick off this article...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App Neighbourhood Concierge

Jennick Scheerlinck • June 21, 2020

Digital network Hoplr for local governments: social inclusion and citizen participation

Hoplr for the local community How does Hoplr work?What is Hoplr used for?Hoplr platform for local governments The social impact of HoplrWhy is local community building important? ...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Jennick Scheerlinck •

The Hague: case study and details of a Hoplr community building pilot

In 6 months time, over 4,100 households (12%) have registered in the 10 neighbourhoods that were selected for the Hoplr pilot in The Hague. Neighbours post an average of 100 messa...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • June 2, 2020

Mechelen and Hoplr: one in three households is registered

Mechelen, such a great city. The authentic setting, filled with culture, friendly people, picturesque squares, … But what makes it such an amazing place to us? It was the very f...

Neighbourhood App Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • March 22, 2020

ACTION PLAN – accelerated rollout of digital neighbourhood network Hoplr during corona crisis: how and why?

These last couple of days, we have received numerous requests to enable an accelerated rollout of our digital neighbourhood network. Both new as well as local governments that had...

Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • March 14, 2020

Together against corona: inspiration and heartening actions from Hoplr neighbours

As said by alderwoman of Hasselt Lies Jans in an article about Hoplr, Corona and the associated measures taken by the government (social distancing in particular) have resulted in...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • February 26, 2020

How we keep our communities positive and constructive

Social media: radicalization or fraternization? Social media lead to radicalisation. You often hear or read it. But why is that? Is it even true? And how do we make sure the Ho...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • February 16, 2020

Hoplr helps local governments build towards social and caring smart cities: answers to 10 FAQ’s

Hoplr connects government and citizens: it all starts and ends with the community. It’s our mission to connect citizen and government, as well as citizens among each other. T...

Knowledge centre Public participation

Laura Geerts • February 5, 2020

Hoplr functionalities for citizen participation with the local community

Hoplr makes it easy for citizens to rely on each other and on the social capital of the local community. For example, they use Hoplr to share information, to socialise, to organis...

Case study Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • February 4, 2020

Trailblazer municipality Olen enhances local community feeling

Olen was one of the very first municipalities to get started with our Service Dashboard, back in 2017. Their goal was to connect citizens, and enhance the local community feeling....

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • January 14, 2020

Digitally stimulate community care with Hoplr: 10 practical tips

Community care: someone’s role in the local community greatly impacts their wellbeing. As a community worker or other social profile within the government, you’re probably ...

Case study Public participation

Laura Geerts • September 4, 2019

Municipality Sint-Katelijne-Waver concludes successful participation project

Citizens Sint-Katelijne-Waver participate in multi-year plan 2020 - 2025 Inhabitants of Sint-Katelijne-Waver were asked nine questions on Hoplr in July 2019. The questions cove...

Case study Neighbourhood App

Laura Geerts • May 2, 2019

City of Bruges on Hoplr: results of a successful pilot project

Hoplr made its debut in the Venice of the North at the end of 2018: a pilot project in collaboration with the City of Bruges. 14 neighbourhoods are activated - which accounts for ...

Knowledge centre

Laura Geerts • April 17, 2019

Citizen communication through Hoplr: practical examples

It's Hoplr's mission to bring neighbours closer together. But that's not all we're in for. By facilitating citizen communication, citizen participation and community care, we aim...

Knowledge centre Public participation

Laura Geerts • March 23, 2019

Citizen participation: how physical encounters are key to more citizen engagement

Neighbourhood network Hoplr enables neighbourhood communication and citizen participation. But in order to achieve successful and representative citizen participation, two non-dig...

Case study Public participation

Laura Geerts • March 19, 2019

High engagement on first citizen participation project in Boechout

At the beginning of this year, the brand-new board of Boechout presented its new policy note to the city council. At least, a first version. The municipality gave its residents th...

Knowledge centre Neighbourhood App Neighbourhood Concierge

Laura Geerts • February 28, 2019

Socialisation of care: local community as a key player

The healthcare sector is under immense pressure. In May 2018, more than 14,000 Flemish adults with disabilities were waiting on a budget to finance their care. At the same time, S...

Case study

Laura Geerts • February 4, 2019

Citizen communication at the level of the neighbourhood with City of Antwerp’s project ‘Noorderlijn’

Imagine: you step outside your door on a regular Monday morning. You get into your car, head for work and... Darn. Detour. Roadworks happen all the time, but you have to admit, if...