2011 Metro Council and Board of Education Redistricting
The Metro Council unanimously approved those new district boundaries April 12, 2011, and they took effect upon Mayor Dean's signature April 13. Final versions of the individual district maps are posted below; our interactive map shows both the new and previous Council district lines.
- Previous and New Districts (interactive map)
- Countywide map (PDF format)
- Specific Data by District
Individual district maps (PDF format)
Evolution of the plan
The summaries below provide a general overview of improvements from Plan A through the final MPC Recommended Plan approved by the Planning Commission on March 31.
Summary of changes
- Plan A to Plan B
- Plan B to Plan C
- Plan C to MPC Recommended Plan, includes amendments made by the Planning Commission on March 31
Board of Education district boundaries
- Countywide map
- Individual district maps
Comments and questions
Public input was an indispensable part of the redistricting process; over three hundred comments and suggestions were received by email alone, and many more by phone, in person, and at community meetings.
- Comments through March 20
- Comments, March 21-23
- Comments, March 24-25
- Comments, March 25-27
- Comments, March 27-28
- Comments, March 28-29
- Comments, March 29-30
- Comments, March 30-31
- Comments, March 31-April 1
- Comments, April 2-April 7
Criteria for drawing district lines
The Metropolitan Council requires that Council and Board of Education district lines be redrawn after each US Census to reflect changes in local population. The Planning Department is charged with drawing those new district boundaries and presenting them to the Planning Commission for approval, then to the Metropolitan Council. The Planning Department is attempting to propose new Council and School Board districts in a timely fashion so that the new district boundaries can be used in the August 2011 Council elections.
The Planning Department follows eight basic guidelines in the drawing of new Council and school board districts:
- Districts must be, as nearly as possible, equal in population.
- Districts must be as much like current districts as possible.
- Neighborhood boundaries must be maintained to the greatest extent possible.
- Natural boundaries must be utilized as much as possible.
- Districts must be as compact as possible, with "contiguous" territory - in other words, districts must be in one piece, with no "islands" of additional territory.
- "Satellite" cities within Davidson County (for example, Belle Meade, Oak Hill, and Lakewood) must not be split by Council districts.
- Redistricting must be done in compliance with the 1964 Voting Rights Act, which ensures equal representation for all citizens. This map shows current ethnic makeup of existing Council districts as drawn following the 2000 census.
- The public must have an opportunity to comment during the redistricting process.
2010 Census Data
Council Districts: Over/Under "Ideal" Population
This map shows population growth and loss in each Metropolitan Council district. Population of each Council district must be roughly equal - 17,905 residents per district, give or take five percent. Current population of some districts is as much as 24% under or 61% over that "ideal" figure.