(with the proviso that redistricting reform is essential to prevent gerrymandering)
I don't know how that can be accomplished. If you don't take politics into account when drawing the lines, what do you use? A dartboard? Even trying to be apolitical in these lines is political.
No kidding. Districting is the most difficult political fight.
My modest proposal is to start with a population density map. Draw districts starting with the highest density areas, which encompass (to within say 1%) the same number of people, and move outward from that high-density area doing so. One can use smaller political units' (counties, cities, townships, etc.) boundaries as guides for the District border.
There are two problems with redistricting: gettting the will, and doing it in an evenhanded manner.
Since the Dems could also be called the "urban herd" who flock to these high-density areas, grouping them all together would be seen as political. The Dems would argue that all the urban districts should be 52-48 liberal (by breaking up the urban areas into slivers to go with each slice of suburban area) and the rest catch-all rural districts that are 75% GOP.
I don't believe that there exists an apolitical solution.