This data set describes Neighborhood Clusters that have been used for community planning and related purposes in the District of Columbia for many years. It does not represent boundaries of District of Columbia neighborhoods. Cluster boundaries were established in the early 2000s based on the professional judgment of the staff of the Office of Planning as reasonably descriptive units of the City for planning purposes. Once created, these boundaries have been maintained unchanged to facilitate comparisons over time, and have been used by many city agencies and outside analysts for this purpose. (The exception is that 7 “additional” areas were added to fill the gaps in the original dataset, which omitted areas without significant neighborhood character such as Rock Creek Park, the National Mall, and the Naval Observatory.) The District of Columbia does not have official neighborhood boundaries. The Office of Planning provides a separate data layer containing Neighborhood Labels that it uses to place neighborhood names on its maps. No formal set of standards describes which neighborhoods are included in that dataset.Whereas neighborhood boundaries can be subjective and fluid over time, these Neighborhood Clusters represent a stable set of boundaries that can be used to describe conditions within the District of Columbia over time.

This dataset was created by the DC Office of Planning and provides a simplified representation of the neighborhoods of the District of Columbia. These boundaries are used by the Office of Planning to determine appropriate locations for placement of neighborhood names on maps. They do not reflect detailed boundary information, do not necessarily include all commonly-used neighborhood designations, do not match planimetric centerlines, and do not necessarily match Neighborhood Cluster boundaries. There is no formal set of standards that describes which neighborhoods are represented or where boundaries are placed. These informal boundaries are not appropriate for display, calculation, or reporting. Their only appropriate use is to guide the placement of text labels for DC's neighborhoods. This is an informal product used for internal mapping purposes only. It should be considered draft, will be subject to change on an irregular basis, and is not intended for publication.

This dataset contains polygons that represent the boundaries of statistical neighborhoods as defined by the DC Department of Health (DC Health). DC Health delineates statistical neighborhoods to facilitate small-area analyses and visualization of health, economic, social, and other indicators to display and uncover disparate outcomes among populations across the city. The neighborhoods are also used to determine eligibility for some health services programs and support research by various entities within and outside of government. DC Health Planning Neighborhood boundaries follow census tract 2010 lines defined by the US Census Bureau. Each neighborhood is a group of between one and seven different, contiguous census tracts. This allows for easier comparison to Census data and calculation of rates per population (including estimates from the American Community Survey and Annual Population Estimates). These do not reflect precise neighborhood locations and do not necessarily include all commonly-used neighborhood designations. There is no formal set of standards that describes which neighborhoods are included in this dataset. Note that the District of Columbia does not have official neighborhood boundaries. Origin of boundaries: each neighborhood is a group of between one and seven different, contiguous census tracts. They were originally determined in 2015 as part of an analytical research project with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) to define small area estimates of life expectancy. Census tracts were grouped roughly following the Office of Planning Neighborhood Cluster boundaries, where possible, and were made just large enough to achieve standard errors of less than 2 for each neighborhood's calculation of life expectancy. The resulting neighborhoods were used in the DC Health Equity Report (2018) with updated names. HPNs were modified slightly in 2019, incorporating one census tract that was consistently suppressed due to low numbers into a neighboring HPN (Lincoln Park incorporated into Capitol Hill). Demographic information were analyzed to identify the bordering group with the most similarities to the single census tract. A second change split a neighborhood (GWU/National Mall) into two to facilitate separate analysis.

The DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), Real Property Tax Administration (RPTA) values all real property in the District of Columbia. This public interactive Real Property Assessment map application accompanies the OCFO MyTax DC and OTR websites. Use this mapping application to search for and view all real property, assessment valuation data, assessment neighborhood areas and sub-areas, detailed assessment information, and many real property valuation reports by various political and administrative areas. View by other administrative areas such as DC Wards, ANCs, DC Squares, and by specific real property characteristics such as property type and/or sale date. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the Real Property Assessment Map, contact the Real Property Assessment Division GIS Program at (202) 442-6484 or maps.title@dc.gov.

The dataset contains locations and attributes of Neighborhood Planning Areas provided by the Office of Planning (DCOP). These do not reflect precise neighborhood locations and do not necessarily include all commonly-used neighborhood designations. There is no formal set of standards that describes which neighborhoods are included in this dataset. Note that the District of Columbia does not have official neighborhood boundaries.

Data Source: Open Data DC and American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates

Why This Matters

Urban green spaces provide an array of health benefits, including protection from extreme heat, reducing stress and anxiety, and offering a place to stay physically active.

Parks can serve as a social gathering space in neighborhoods, offering a location for residents to host events, play sports, and connect with their neighbors. This benefit can be particularly beneficial for elderly individuals as they are more likely to suffer from social isolation.

While the District is considered a national leader in park equity today, this has not always been the case. Until 1954, many DC parks and playgrounds were segregated, either prohibiting their use by Black residents or only allowing them to be used during certain hours.

The District Response

The District consistently ranks well nationally for park equity, receiving a higher Trust for Public Land ParkScore®rating than any other city for four consecutive years (2021-2024). Unlike most cities in the US, District residents have access to a similar amount of park space regardless of their neighborhood’s racial demographics.

The District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division is on track to reach a goal of tree canopy coverage for 40% of the District, promoting better air quality and cooling our neighborhoods. Residents can also request the planting of a new street tree near them.

The Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of General Services are modernizing and renovating parks across the District to improve park services, safety, and utilization.

Census tracts eligible for the Neighborhood Prosperity Fund (NPF), pursuant to DC Official Code §2-1225.21.

The main purposes of this online map are 1. to demonstrate the Web-Based Geographic Information System (GIS) in the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) Real Property Tax Administration (RPTA), and 2. to share detailed real property data and information to real property owners, the public, and other government entities. The rich map and interactive application include relevant real property valuation contributing map layers, links to original source agencies, and a variety of search, query, and analysis options to meet the needs of a wide user base. The location and links to the original DC Boundary Stones add a fun, historical,and educational component.The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), Real Property Assessment Division values all real property in the District of Columbia. The public interactive online DC Office of Tax and Revenue Real Property Assessment Lot Map Search application accompanies the OTR Tax Payer Service Center and may be used to search for and view all real property, related assessment areas, assessment data, and detailed assessment information.

The Washington DC Area geologic map database (DCDB) provides geologic map information of areas to the NW, W, and SW of Washington, DC to various professionals and private citizens who have uses for geologic data. Digital, geographically referenced, geologic data is more versatile than traditional hard copy maps, and facilitates the examination of relationships between numerous aspects of the geology and other types of data such as: land-use data, vegetation characteristics, surface water flow and chemistry, and various types of remotely sensed images. The DCDB was created by combining Arc/Info coverages, designing a Microsoft (MS) Access database, and populating this database. Proposed improvements to the DCDB include the addition of more geochemical, structural, and hydrologic data.

Map of areas that will be in a new ANC when the 2023 ANC boundaries go into effect on January 1st, 2023.

Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) properties identified as polygons. The dataset contains general locations and amenity information about the properties under the jurisdiction of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. It has been created as part of the DC Geographic Information System (DC GIS) for the D.C. Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and participating D.C. government agencies. This data is provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Strategic Neighborhood Investment Program (SNIP) - A targeted investment policy wherein priority District areas receive a series of comprehensive public actions or funds to complement and/or catalyze private sector investment. These are not neighborhood boundaries. The Government of the District of Columbia does not provide official neighborhood boundaries.

The DC Housing Authority provides quality affordable housing to extremely low- through moderate-income households, fosters sustainable communities, and cultivates opportunities for residents to improve their lives. The following is a subset of the District Government Land (Owned, Operated, and or managed) dataset that include buildings with a "public housing" use type.

These community gardens generally fall into three operating categories: DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), National Parks Service (NPS), and independent.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) were created pursuant to legislation approving the District of Columbia's Home Rule charter in 1973. They are collections of Single Member Districts (SMDs). ANCs allow input from an advisory board made up of the residents of the neighborhoods directly affected by government action. The ANCs are the body of government with the closest official ties to the people in a neighborhood. ANCs present their positions and recommendations on issues to various District government agencies, the Executive Branch, and the Council. They also present testimony to independent agencies, boards and commissions, usually under rules of procedure specific to those entities. By law, the ANCs may also present their positions to Federal agencies. ANCs consider a wide range of policies and programs affecting their neighborhoods. These include traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and the District's annual budget. No public policy area is excluded from the purview of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. ANCs present their positions and recommendations on issues to various District government agencies, the Executive Branch, and the Council. They also present testimony to independent agencies, boards and commissions, usually under rules of procedure specific to those entities. By law, the ANCs may also present their positions to Federal agencies.This dataset reflects the ANC boundaries delineated in the Advisory Neighborhood Commission Boundaries Act of 2022, signed into law on June 16, 2022. They are in effect beginning January 1, 2023.

The Urban Planning Code defines two types of areas for municipal maps: construction sectors and inconstructible sectors. There are, however, special cases: graphical documents may define areas reserved for industrial or craft activities, in particular those incompatible with the neighbourhood of inhabited areas. They shall define, where appropriate, areas in which the reconstruction of a building destroyed by a disaster is not permitted. Installations necessary for public facilities, agricultural or forestry operations and the development of natural resources are not covered by the principle of inconstructibility resulting from classification. The areas of the communal map do not always cover the entire communal territory. The areas of the municipality not covered by a sector are represented by an object in order to cover the whole municipality. The data relates to all areas of communal maps after assembly. This layer is for informational use, the paper zoning plan remains the effective document.

Wooded areas captured in 1999. Contract NCPC 93-02. This document describes the planimetric map production for the 350 tiles located in Washington DC and the surrounding states of MD and VA.

This resource is a member of a series. The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System (MTS). The MTS represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. The All Roads shapefile includes all features within the MTS Super Class "Road/Path Features" distinguished where the MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Code (MTFCC) for the feature in the MTS that begins with "S". This includes all primary, secondary, local neighborhood, and rural roads, city streets, vehicular trails (4wd), ramps, service drives, alleys, parking lot roads, private roads for service vehicles (logging, oil fields, ranches, etc.), bike paths or trails, bridle/horse paths, walkways/pedestrian trails, and stairways.