I’m quite taken by this interesting vision of Boston in an alternative future – one where the elevated rapid transit lines were never torn down, but instead upgraded to be part of a comprehensive and dense transit system. As well as these old lines (and the Watertown “A” branch of the Green line and the full length of the “E” branch!), Amy also adds in other proposed additions to the network like the Green Line Extension, the conversion of the Fairmont commuter rail line to rapid transit, the Circle Line and even the Seaport gondola from South Station to Marine Park (incorrectly spelled as “Millenium Line” in the legend).

There’s some nice design touches in the map: the even space between all the 45-degree lines running from SW to NE is very pleasing and sets up a nice internal grid for the whole map. The reflected “wing” pattern made by the loops at the end of the SL1 and SL2 lines – here promoted to full rail rapid transit – is likewise a great little visual hook and is executed very deftly.

There are a couple of problems in my eyes, though. The regular spacing over much of the map means that there’s a couple of places where things have to be spaced much further apart to make things fit: the northern half of the Red Line is the most obvious example, with huge gaps between Kendall, Central and Harvard before tighter spacing again up to Alewife. I also think the big gaps between labels on the Green Line branches as they change from a 45-degree angle to vertical need to be looked at and respaced. It is possible to get even spacing between labels when a line goes around a corner with a little thought and effort. I find that it often works best to get the labels looking right, rather than the “ticks”. The overall generous spacing between stations means that the labels are all perhaps a little small in the context of the while map.

Also, if the “Yawkey” on this map is meant to be connected to the current commuter rail station (and the light purple diamond indicating a rail connection seems to suggest that it is), then it’s in the wrong spot: It should be down between Kenmore and the Green Line “D” branch, which might require a little bit of reworking to make fit pleasingly.

Our rating: A solid effort with great visual appeal and some good research. Some uneven spacing here and there affects the overall balance, but not horrendously. Three-and-a-half stars.

Head over to Amy’s design site for more details on the project – there are also prints for sale.