Neighborhoods that organise themselves by using digital tools, such as chat groups or forums, have been already accepted as part of urban reality for years. But recent events, such as the flood in and around Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, also show that digital communication options often break down in such moments of crisis - while at the same time they are actually needed more than ever in these situations: for short messages that people are okay, but also for coordinating resources and clean-up work. So how can citizens’ groups coordinate their self-organisation in everyday life and also in a crisis - possibly without electricity or internet - and maintain their communication in a practical way?

Resilient communication in the neighborhood should not only be activated in the event of a crisis. The use of digital technology in everyday life has long been completely normal. But in a crisis, this technology is often dysfunctional or interrupted, whereas of course the need for communication remains and increases even in a crisis. Technically, this communication can function centrally and remotely and can thus be used flexibly. Peer-to-peer solutions, which enable communication locally detached from the environment, also fit well into the defined user group of the neighborhood as a unit. From the technical point of view, the basics are already there and functional. The focus of our work is therefore on the social aspects.