What are Communities of Interest?

A community of interest is a “contiguous population that shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.”

 

Below are useful excerpts from the Local Government Redistricting Toolkit by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus (2020)

 

Communities of interest are the overlapping sets of neighborhoods, networks, and groups that share interests, views, cultures, histories, languages, and values and whose boundaries can be identified on a map.

 

The following elements help define communities of interest:

  • shared interests in schools, housing, community safety, transit, health conditions, land use, environmental conditions, and/or other issues;

  • common social and civic networks, including churches, mosques, temples, homeowner associations, and community centers, and shared use of community spaces, like parks and shopping centers;

  • racial and ethnic compositions, cultural identities, and households that predominantly speak a language other than English;

  • similar socio-economic status, including but not limited to income, home-ownership, and education levels;

  • shared political boundary lines from other jurisdictions, such as school districts, community college districts, and water districts.

Show All Answers

1. What are district-based elections?
2. What election system does the City currently use?
3. Why does districting matter to me?
4. What criteria will our City Council use when drawing district lines?
5. What are Communities of Interest?
6. How can I get involved?
7. What do the acronyms and categories mean on the demographic sheets?
8. Do I have to submit a completed map?
9. Can I submit more than one map?
10. What happens to the drafted maps?
11. Where can I learn more about districting?