Popular neighborhood news and social media platform Nextdoor is getting a redesign that aims to boost user engagement. The platform will be offering AI-curated advice, neighbor recommendations and insights, while emphasizing urgent posts, including a “critical alerts” system with “real-time updates on everything from daily weather and traffic to critical moments like power outages, severe storms, and wildfires.” Since launching in 2011, Nextdoor has accrued more than 100 million subscribers, the company says, adding that the shift to more remote and hybrid work means “people are spending more time in their neighborhoods,” making local connections increasingly relevant.

“The redesign focuses on three core features that will help you navigate the goings-on of your neighborhood: Alerts, News and Faves,” reports CNET.

Described as “the most consequential redesign of its core product to date,” company CEO and co-founder Nirav Tolia calls it “a re-founding moment” in a news release that emphasizes the effort to make it more useful and timely.

The Alerts feature relies on “trusted sources such as Samdesk and The Weather Company, which includes The Weather Channel app and Weather.com website,” the Nextdoor announcement explains, underlining the aim to “reinforce Nextdoor’s role as a reliable and vital lifeline during critical events.”

Nextdoor is also drawing news from “3,500 local publications across the U.S., UK, and Canada — including respected outlets like The San Francisco Standard, The London Standard and The Toronto Star,” the company says.

Based on an interview with Tolia, TechCrunch reports that “these aren’t commercial agreements, as Nextdoor isn’t paying for the content, nor are the publishers paying the company.” Nor will Nextdoor “host” the content — “it’s simply displaying a headline, a snippet, and an image, and directing traffic to the publications.” TechCrunch reports, adding that “users will be able to discuss the news in a comments section under each post.”

“The idea is to make Nextdoor feel more like a utility that people want to visit every day to understand their local neighborhood and community,” Bloomberg writes.

Related:
Why the Co-Founder of Nextdoor Came Back After Five Years of Investing in Startups, Fortune, 7/15/25