🔑 How the assignment hierarchy works
Think of it as a simple pecking order:
🪑 Individual desk assignment — Always wins. If a desk is assigned to a specific person, that's final.
🏘️ Neighborhood assignment — Kicks in when there's no individual assignment on a desk.
🌐 Open (available to all) — If there's no individual or neighborhood assignment, anyone in the company can book it.
🤔 What exactly is a neighborhood?
A neighborhood is a colored polygon you draw on your floor plan that groups desks and resources together. You give it a name, pick a color, and assign it to a department or specific people.
Any desks inside that polygon automatically belong to the neighborhood — no manual linking needed!
💡 Example: Draw a blue polygon around a cluster of desks on Floor 2, name it "Engineering," and assign it to your Engineering department. Now engineers can book any unassigned desk in that zone.
🛠️ Creating a Neighborhood
Open your floor plan in edit mode
Go to the Neighborhoods section
Click to create a new neighborhood
Give it a name (e.g., "Engineering")
Pick a color to make it stand out on the map
Assign it to a department (e.g., Engineering, Marketing, Customer Success)
Draw the polygon around the area you want, then click Add
✅ All desks and resources inside the polygon are automatically included.
💡 Pro tip: Feel free to add all your desks first, then create neighborhoods after. The polygon will automatically scoop up every desk inside its boundaries.
📖 How Neighborhoods Affect Booking
Once neighborhoods are set up, the booking system handles the rest automatically:
🎯 Employees see desks available to them based on the hierarchy (individual > neighborhood > open)
🔐 Access control (badging, WiFi) also prioritizes spaces assigned via neighborhoods
🏷️ If a desk doesn't have an individual assignment, the neighborhood assignment shows up instead on the floor plan — so everyone can see which team area it belongs to
🔄 Moving Desks & Neighborhood Membership
Neighborhood membership is based on where the desk physically sits on the floor plan:
➡️ Move a desk into a neighborhood polygon → it's automatically added
⬅️ Move a desk out of a neighborhood polygon → it's automatically removed
No manual updates needed — just drag the desk, and the system takes care of the rest!
🗺️ Floor Plan Visualization
Neighborhoods show up on your floor plan as colored polygons with their name displayed. Use the Layers panel to customize what you see:
🏘️ Neighborhood labels — Toggle names and boundaries on/off
👤 User labels — Toggle individual assignment labels on/off (e.g., for private offices)
Desk bubbles also display assignment info. No individual assignment? The neighborhood assignment shows instead — making it easy to see team zones at a glance.
⭐ Key Things to Know
🔒 Hierarchy is strict: Individual > Neighborhood > Open. Always.
🏢 One department, many neighborhoods: Engineering can span Floor 2 and Floor 4. Members book in either.
🙋 Exceptions are flexible: Add any person to any neighborhood, regardless of their department.
🔄 Desk moves are automatic: Drag a desk in or out of a polygon and membership updates instantly.
🚪 Meeting rooms count too: Resources inside a neighborhood polygon show up in the resource count and list.
🌐 Unassigned = open: No department on a neighborhood? Anyone can book there unless there are specific desk assignments.
❓ FAQ
Can I assign the same desk to multiple neighborhoods? A desk belongs to whichever polygon it sits inside. If polygons overlap, the desk's physical position determines its neighborhood.
What happens if I delete a neighborhood? The desks revert to the next level in the hierarchy — either their individual assignment or open availability. Nothing is lost!
Can a user be in more than one neighborhood? Absolutely! If Engineering has neighborhoods on Floor 2 and Floor 4, engineers can book in both. Individual exceptions also stack — add someone to as many neighborhoods as you need.
Do meeting rooms follow neighborhood assignments? Meeting rooms inside a neighborhood are tracked as resources, but their booking access can be configured independently. A meeting room can stay open to everyone even if it's inside a department's neighborhood.
How do I see which desks are in a neighborhood? Click the neighborhood in the Neighborhoods tab (in either drawer) — it'll zoom to the map and show the full resource list. 🔍
💬 Still have questions?
Reach out to us using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner or via email at support@gable.to and we’ll be happy to help.