Digital Neighborhood
Last updated: 09.06.2026
Arrenapp & Bitfaß Columns
Social media has lost its social aspect. On Facebook and similar platforms, algorithms dominate, advertising prevails, and we’ve become mere spectators to the exchange of trivialities. Yet trivialities, gossip, and banalities are important for our “social operating system”; they help us organize our lives within the community, build trust, and assess risks.
That’s why we at Arrenberg have been working for years on our own solution to marry social interaction with the digital transformation—a development effort that can’t be accomplished simply through volunteer work. But with public support—most recently from the NRW Welfare Foundation—we’ve come a long way: Together with our partner PIKSL, a project of Arrenberger forum e.V., the current version of the Arren App went live on May 9, 2026—what you’re looking at right now. Okay, at least part of it.
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An app—for whom?
Our Audience
First and foremost, Arrenapp is the website of the association Aufbruch am Arrenberg e.V. It features information about the neighborhood, the association, and the projects that call this place home. And because Arrenberg isn’t just any ordinary neighborhood, the site appeals to a wide variety of audiences. Potential neighbors, for example, who are interested in the neighborhood, as well as a significant audience from national politics and the general public. But also international teams from research and academia who are interested in Arrenberg as a real-world laboratory. Because the people who live here are engaged and eager to get involved in social issues—such as how to live in a climate-neutral way, rethink mobility, or grow food right in the middle of the city.
Ever since Arrenberg became a hotspot for international scientists on the occasion of the Wuppertal Institute’s 25th anniversary in 2016, the association has been collaborating with research institutes, foundations, and universities that want to put theoretical social concepts to the test in practice and are looking for a suitable environment to do so. This is in our interest, and this website also serves to introduce the neighborhood to new partners.
Connecting the Neighborhood
Of course, a simple website builder would have been enough to showcase the neighborhood. However, to provide real value to the neighborhood, the ArrenApp was developed as a PWA (Progressive Web App). This means anyone can pin the app to their phone’s home screen and receive notifications whenever there’s something new happening in the neighborhood.
And the neighbors themselves are in charge of this news. That’s because with Arrenapp, anyone who has registered can write messages and share them with the neighborhood.
These can be announcements, swap offers, polls, or event dates—all easily posted from your cell phone. If you’d like, you can enable push notifications in your profile under “Settings”; then, whenever there’s news, you’ll hear a “Ping!” and receive a notification on your phone, just like a WhatsApp message. Of course, there’s also a comment feature, and if you want to like a post, you can give it a heart.
The difference from the big platforms: no AI, no algorithms, no ads. But there’s a special bonus: the Bitfaß columns.
The Digital Double
Online in the neighborhood, even when you're offline
Street displays have been set up at four central locations in the neighborhood. We call them “Bitfaßsäulen,” with an “ß”; a fusion of the good old Litfaß column and the smallest unit of electronic data, the bit. The former was invented over 170 years ago by the Berlin printer Ernst Litfaß (hence the “ß”) to keep the many posters in check that were being wildly plastered everywhere by Berlin’s rapidly growing population.
Our version of Litfaß’s idea functions as a digital counterpart to the neighborhood platform: The Arrenberg Bitfaß columns are synchronized via the internet with the ArrenApp and display content posted there—practically in real time. This allows neighbors to stay informed about what’s happening in the neighborhood even without an internet connection. The magic word is “digital participation,” and it has gained significance during the COVID-19 lockdowns, as social communication shifted to digital media.
Since then, this behavior has changed little—but the media, which increasingly use this interaction for their own purposes, have certainly changed. With the ArrenApp, we’re countering their echo chambers with a different bubble: the neighborhood where we live our lives together.
The Locations of the Coin Dispensers
😘 Finally, I’d like to thank my friend Felix Bleidt, who, through countless hours of volunteer work, has made a significant contribution to the quality of the app.
Coordinator
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Support this project
The more people who use it, the better it is for all of us: Download the ArrenApp to your phones, let Piksl show you how to get the most out of it, and share Arrenberg life with your neighbors! Spread the word in your neighborhood!
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Project Timeline
What Has Happened So Far in the Project
Project Survey
Bitfaß Columns: Is the pace okay?
A message is displayed on the Bitfaß columns for 16 seconds before the image changes. Too short? Too long?
Some people can't read everything that quickly, while others start to get bored. What do you think—should we adjust the interval?
Media coverage
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