Showing an alternate future where everything in a 2014 proposal actually got built, this is without a doubt one of the best looking Chicago transit maps I have ever seen – just lovely work from Michael. Many designers have tried to integrate the Loop into the main map instead of using an inset before, but rarely as successfully as this. Michaels’ Loop fits the scale of the rest of the map really well, and just looks like it belongs.

Despite being very information-dense (“L” lines, commuter rail lines and arterial bus routes all on one map!), everything feels very clean, spacious and well-organised. Colour is used intelligently to emphasise hierarchy – bright colours for the “L”, muted pastels for commuter rail lines, and grey for the bus routes.

It’s all so good that I can even overlook a couple of my personal dislikes – labels set in the same colour as the line they represent, and stations that are labelled multiple times – once for every service that terminates there. Sometimes you just have to let these things slide because the piece as a whole just works.

As a side note, how amazing would those crosstown “L” lines be if they actually existed, especially the O’Hare to Midway airport link? We can only hope and dream!

Our final word: Just awesome. It’s only January and this may already be my favourite map of 2021.

Source: Michael’s website