01
Accessible 24/7
Sports and play equipment is available whenever residents want to use it. No opening hours, no waiting lists — just public space that works the way life does.
MONITOR · EDITION 01 · 2026UrbanCubby Monitor 2026
The future ofpublic sports infrastructure.
More movement in neighbourhoods and parks, without permanent supervision. Discover how cities and municipalities make sports and play equipment accessible 24/7 with UrbanCubby.
1,061measured loans
25installations in Flanders
7cities and municipalities
01 — Why
Why cities and municipalities choose UrbanCubby.
Four fundamentals that turn a bank of lockers into an instrument for public space.
02
Encourages spontaneous activity
People decide to move on the spot because the equipment is right there. A basketball within reach turns a square into a sports field — no reservation, no barrier.
03
Smart management
Fully managed digitally through a web application. Real-time insight into usage, maintenance and occupancy gives policymakers data they can build on.
04
Modular and tailored
Every UrbanCubby is composed to suit the location: half box, base box or double box, with solid, perforated or transparent doors. Prices start from approximately € 3,500 excl. VAT.
FIG. 01 — MODULAR CONFIGURATIONSHalf box · Base box · Double box · Solar or mains power
02 — How it works
From QR code to managementfrom a distance.
Four steps determine whether public shared equipment works: how easily the user reaches it, how little work it costs the department, how it is powered and where it stands.
User
Scan and play
Scan the QR code on the UrbanCubby, pick your equipment in the web app and the door opens. No app download, no registration procedure, no key or badge.
Administrator
Everything remotely
The municipality manages lockers, equipment, rates and opening hours through an online dashboard. Real-time usage data and notifications make follow-up and reporting simple.
Energy
Mains power or solar
An UrbanCubby runs on mains power or autonomously on solar energy. That makes even a location without a connection — a park, square or playing field — immediately usable.
Placement
On paving or grass
Placement is possible on paving or on grass, with a compact footprint. After the first installation, expanding with extra boxes or locations is always an option.
Good to know — at a glance
- No app download required
- Access via QR code and web app
- Mains power or solar energy
- Opening hours configurable per location
- Real-time management and usage data
- Remote management
- Local, social production
- Expandable after installation
- Support and interventions
- On paving or grass
- Advice on choosing a location
- Delivery and installation included
- Software and management dashboard
- Equipment management optional
Subsidies and support
Depending on location, target group and project objective, funding opportunities may be available. Cubby helps identify relevant calls and supports the application wherever possible.
UrbanCubbies are produced in West Flanders through social employment — a relevant element in applications around local economy, employment and sustainability.
FIG. 02B — PERSONALISED EQUIPMENT● PROPERTY OF CUBBY
All loan equipment is personalised in the UrbanCubby house style and carries the wording “Property of Cubby — please return after use”. That recognisability makes resale unattractive and lowers theft and loss, while making the collective, public nature of the equipment visible.
03 — Proven in practice
The first resultsspeak for themselves.
FIG. 02 — MOST BORROWED EQUIPMENT● MEASURED DATA
Football
180
Multi-sport set (football · frisbee · pétanque)
161
Volleyball
139
Street & skill games (diabolo, skipping rope)
136
Kubb
135
Basketball
104
Spikeball / roundnet
66
Frisbee
59
Pétanque & skittles
44
Badminton & racket sports
25
1,061 registered loan sessions · Ghent + 6 municipalities · up to and including June 2026
Combined data from Ghent — the longest operational network — and six other municipalities. Traditional sports and play equipment — football, volleyball, basketball, kubb, pétanque — is by far the most popular, even though you would expect people to own it themselves or to be able to buy it easily. The barrier is therefore not ownership, but access: having equipment at hand at the moment and the place where people want to play.
25installations
UrbanCubbies operational in Flanders
7
Cities and municipalities with an active project
1,061
Confirmed public loans — measured baseline
100%
Produced in West Flanders · social employment
Nieuwsblad23 July 2026
Bruges introduces UrbanCubbies: borrow sports equipment free of charge
HLN21 July 2026
Oudenaarde installs UrbanCubby: free sports equipment in Volkegem
HLN1 July 2026
Grobbendonk opens sports locker: “A fantastic first for our region”
Cubby.beFull press dossier
Scan to read all articles about UrbanCubby
04 — Proven · usage
One loan getsa whole group moving.
All usage figures are recalculated to one year per reporting UrbanCubby. That way a new installation is compared fairly with a location that has been active for months.
Measured1,061
confirmed loans as the baseline
Projectionapprox. 7,500
loans per year across 25 UrbanCubbies
Estimateapprox. 30,000
participant moments per year
FIG. 03 — PACE: ANNUAL PROJECTION PER URBANCUBBYLOANS / YEAR / INSTALLATION
Annual projection = loans ÷ active installation days × 365, per individual UrbanCubby. The bar shows this pace per installation, so a new location is compared fairly with an older one. Below the municipality name is the number of installations; ‘total’ is the projection for the entire city or municipality (installations × pace). 21 installations across 7 cities and municipalities report data; the network counts 25 UrbanCubbies. Ghent is shown as a range because of its phased rollout (1 March–1 April). *Tervuren: provisional start 27 May. *Bruges: 14 active days, one reporting installation.
Compare pace, not volumeapprox. 300
projected loans per reporting UrbanCubby on an annual basis. An installation running for two weeks is thus compared fairly with one that has been active for months.
From loan to participation — annual indication
15,000
conservative — 2 participants per loan
approx. 30,000
recommended — 4 participants per loan
37,500
high — 5 participants per loan
Source: UrbanCubby location reports (7 cities and municipalities, 2026). 1,061 loans were measured; all annual figures are projections based on active installation days. Network projection: approximately 6,900–8,000 loans per year across 25 installations at the observed pace. Participant moments are estimated annual participations, not unique individuals.
06 — Contact
Design yourUrbanCubby.
Configure online — choose module, door type and power supply. Or simply call us: together we look at which location in your city or municipality generates the most movement.
Personal contact
Call or email directly.No form needed.
Send us a location or a plan and we will visit with a concrete proposal: configuration, equipment package, budget and possible funding routes.
Funding guidecubby.be/get-funding
PUBLIC SPACE IN USE · FLANDERS 2026