Draw a Map

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

Under State law, maps to be considered by the Council at public hearings must be posted online and available at City Hall seven days before the hearing.

The deadline for map submittals was October 18, 2017 and is now closed. Thank you.

Map-Drawing Tools

Paper-only maps
Paper maps with a Microsoft Excel Supplement Kit
A powerful online map-drawing tool

Before you get started, please review the criteria. Then after you draw your proposed plan(s), be sure to compare them with other maps posted to the Draft Maps page.

Paper-Only Maps

Option A: You can use the simple one-page map to draw your proposed districts and calculate the total population.

Option B: You can print and use the more extensive “Public Participation Kit”, which contains detailed instructions, the list of line-drawing criteria, demographics for each Population Unit, and blank maps on which you can draw your proposed plan(s).

Please note, submission of color maps via fax is not recommended as they will not fax properly. However, all other submission options for color maps are acceptable.

Microsoft Excel Supplement

Are you familiar with the basic functions of Microsoft Excel? Then you can let Excel do the total population and demographic math for you. Click on the link for the 4 district option or the 5 district option, to save the Excel file(s) to your computer. Then use the Excel file and the Map of Population Unit ID numbers (on page 4 of the full kit) to assign the Population Units to your desired districts, and Excel will provide the resulting demographics for each district.

Interactive Public Participation Kit Supplement

If you want to see exactly where the various Population Unit boundaries are located, or if you have difficulty reading the small print on the 8.5×11 PDF files, you can use this interactive map to zoom in and out on the Population Unit boundaries, and switch back and forth between PopUnit ID number labels and total population labels. It works like Google Maps, except you use check-boxes to choose what layers and labels you want to see on the map. (Once they are released, the Draft Maps will also appear as layer options on this same map.) Also, feel free to explore this map of existing boundaries and points of interest (see #4 of the criteria specs) to assist you in drawing your district map(s).

Online District Drawing Tool

The most powerful map-drawing tool is the online district drawing tool. This tool enables you to draw districts Census Block by Census Block, just like the professional demographers. You can fine-tune your district lines and see, in detail, the resulting demographics as you draw your map.

But with this power comes complexity: this tool can be challenging to figure out at first. So before you log in, be sure to review the following helpful guides and please note - this application is not designed to be used on tablets or smart phones.