Together | Devpost

Map
Event
Social
Messages
Group Chat

💡 Inspiration

In today's world, it's kind of ironic - we're more connected than ever through social media, yet many of us barely know our neighbors. This hit home when we realized that despite living in the same neighborhood for years, we were more likely to get restaurant recommendations from strangers on Instagram than from the person living next door.

The lightbulb moment came during a conversation about how our parents and grandparents talk about the "good old days" when neighborhoods were real communities. They knew their neighbors, kids played together in the streets, and there was this genuine sense of belonging. We started wondering: could we use technology to bring back that community feeling, but in a way that fits our modern lives? We also noticed some real problems that better neighborhood connections could solve:

That time when someone's car got broken into, and nobody knew who to alert

The local food bank that needed volunteers, but couldn't reach enough people

Community events that only spread through word of mouth, missing half the neighborhood

New families moving in who felt isolated because they didn't know anyone

Plus, with more people working from home and spending time in their local areas, there's never been a better time to strengthen neighborhood bonds. We wanted to create something that would make it easy and natural to be part of your local community - no awkward door knocking required.

🎯 What it does

Ever felt disconnected from your local community? That's exactly why we built Ctrl-Hack-Del. Think of it as your neighborhood in your pocket. You can see what's happening around you on a map, chat with neighbors, join local events, and be part of community groups. Whether it's finding a local running club, organizing a block party, or just staying in the loop about neighborhood happenings, we've got you covered.

🛠️ How we built it

We started with React Native and Expo because we wanted the app to work smoothly on both iPhone and Android. The real magic happens with Google Maps integration - that's what lets you see your community laid out visually. We used TypeScript to keep our code clean (and save our sanity), and added real-time chat so neighbors can actually talk to each other.

The trickiest part was making everything work together seamlessly. We wanted the app to feel natural and intuitive, like something you'd use every day. That meant a lot of attention to detail on the user interface, making sure notifications work right, and keeping everything fast and responsive.

🤔 Challenges we ran into

Oh boy, where do we start?

First off, maps are hard. Like, really hard. Making them work smoothly while showing all the community pins and events without turning your phone into a space heater was a challenge. Then there's the whole "real-time" thing - making sure messages appear instantly and location updates don't drain your battery.

We also had to figure out how to handle different neighborhoods and communities without making things confusing. Should we auto-join people to their local community? How do we handle people who live on the border of two neighborhoods? These were the kind of questions that kept us up at night.

🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of

The biggest win? It actually works! Seriously though, we managed to create something that feels smooth and natural to use. The map loads quickly, messages send instantly, and everything just... flows. We're particularly proud of how the community features came together - you can create an event, and boom, it shows up on everyone's map.

The dark mode implementation is pretty sweet too (your eyes can thank us later), and the way communities can organize events and chat in real-time still makes us smile. Plus, the whole thing works on both iPhone and Android without looking like it was forced to fit either platform.

📚 What we learned

Mobile development is a different beast entirely. We learned that the hard way! But beyond the technical stuff (like TypeScript saving us from countless bugs), we learned a lot about what makes communities tick. Every feature we added made us think more about how people actually interact in their neighborhoods.

We also got really good at debugging while sleep-deprived and learned that "just one more feature" usually means three hours of fixing unexpected issues. But hey, that's part of the fun, right?

🚀 What's next

We've got big plans! Here's what's cooking:

Adding a way to RSVP to events and maybe even split costs for community activities
Building a marketplace for neighbors to buy, sell, or borrow items
Creating an emergency alert system for important community announcements
Adding support for local businesses to connect with their neighborhood
Making the chat even better with photo sharing and event planning tools

But most importantly, we want to hear from our users. What do they need? What would make their community stronger? That's what'll really drive what we build next.

The dream is to make Ctrl-Hack-Del the go-to app for anything and everything neighborhood-related. Whether you're new to an area or have lived there for decades, we want to help you feel more connected to your community.

We're just getting started, and we're pretty excited about where this is heading. After all, good neighborhoods make good neighbors, and we're here to help with the digital part of that equation! 🏘️