The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) — which manages more than 65,000 acres of public land in the San Francisco Bay Area — launched a suite of interactive mapping applications to make its redistricting process more transparent to residents.
Impact
After the once-a-decade federal census is conducted, Midpen is required by law to ensure the seven wards represented by its elected board members remain substantially equal in population. The process of adjusting ward boundaries to respond to population changes is known as redistricting. Midpen created online interactive maps that let residents compare new wards to previous wards and search their address to see if their ward had changed.
Sharing redistricting plans though online maps allowed the public to engage with Midpen in new ways. The number of comments increased exponentially when compared to the 2010 redistricting cycle, and the app used to explore boundary changes received more 1,000 views in the weeks leading up to plan adoption.
Advice
When new apps or app-based services are made available, it’s important to focus energy on a strong public outreach plan that can educate and generate engagement. Additional steps should include:
- Forming a diverse project team
- Procuring consultant support
- Listening and responding to public concerns
- Leveraging social media to announce innovations
