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Aurora narrows 2026 special census to new-construction tracts; GIS staff credited with map work
Summary
Aurora officials said the 2026 special census will target new-construction, contiguous census tracts. Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron credited city GIS staff (Tim Shields) with developing maps intended to maximize counting success.
Shannon Cameron, chief of staff for the mayor’s office, said the city deliberately focused the 2026 special census on new-construction tracts rather than attempting a full citywide recount, because the Census Bureau’s rules restrict what a special census can count and the team wanted reliable results.
Cameron credited Tim Shields, the city’s GIS lead, with developing maps that connect contiguous tracts and identify areas where enumerators and online response are most likely to capture new residents. “He’s really done a nice job, connect creating maps that we just think we’re gonna have the most success at counting people,” she said.
Cameron said the maps also try to balance outreach sensitivity; they retained some tracts with high Latino populations while focusing resources where people are likelier to respond. The panel framed mapping as a strategic step to ensure time and resources target areas with the highest chance of correcting the undercount.
