Districtr is our open-source browser-based mapping app. Our goal for Districtr is to put the tools of redistricting in the hands of the public, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of civil rights organizations, community groups, and researchers.

First conceived as part of a student summer project in 2018, Districtr launched as a public mapping app in 2019 and has grown to be a prominent part of the redistricting landscape in the years since then. We offer affordable mapping support for localities, either working directly with local government and organizers, or through redistricting consulting companies who serve those localities. Districtr is always free to use for members of the public.

Some highlights from the 2020 census cycle include:

• offical mapping tool of the People’s Maps Commission in Wisconsin;
• official mapping tool of cities and localities across the country, from New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Minneapolis to Grand County, Utah (population 9,669);
• contracted by Michigan Department of State to collect communities-of-interest data (and other public feedback) for the Michigan Independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission.

In 2025, we are preparing an ambitious rewrite of Districtr, now available in beta release. We plan a wide public release of Districtr 2.0 by the end of Summer 2025. New features include:

• ability to split/break precincts down to census blocks;
• improved contiguity check and zoom to unassigned units;
• improved import/export options for working with block assignment files;
• many small feature upgrades, like changing colors on your districts and keyboard shortcuts for super-users.

The Districtr Backstory

Districtr came about from a conversation with Lawyers for Civil Rights, the Boston arm of the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. LCR was describing their work with community members in Lowell, MA, who were frustrated about not having a voice with the city council.

In those conversations, a few places kept coming up… like Clemente Park, a much-loved meeting point for the city’s Asian and Latino populations, but one that felt unsafe at night because the city had not provided adequate lighting in the park. And Lowell High School, the city’s only public high school, which serves over 3000 students. The city announced plans to move it from its traditional downtown location, but did not invest in substantial outreach to communities of color about possible new sites.

Our idea was to create a mapping tool whose fundamental principle is to ask the community members one key question: what matters to you, and where is it located?

With maps that show relevant landmarks and data, users can try their own hand at creating maps with attached community narratives. Our research team at MGGG will support public mapping efforts by synthesizing public input into a Community Map Report.