Further to my previous posts, here’s a couple more maps from East and West Berlin, this time from 1984. Both are much better-designed than the examples shown earlier, and West Berlin has taken on the “U-number” line names that we know so well today. No further comments as the basic principles still hold true for each map – presented for comparison and completeness only.
As a direct contrast to my previous post, here’s the East Berlin perspective of transit in that divided city.
Notice anything?
West Berlin has almost been entirely excised from the map: a small, empty, featureless area totally encircled by extensive East German rail lines as well as the Berlin Wall: here referred to as the “state border”. A powerful statement of East German superiority if there ever was one.
Have we been there? Yes.
What we like: As before, the historical and political snapshot of a map like this is astounding.
What we don’t like: Not actually hugely useful as a route map – all the S-Bahn tracks are the same shade of neon green, making it impossible to tell where trains begin and end their journey. Eye-jarring colours: I think there’s actually two different neon greens, but it’s very difficult to tell!
Our rating: Mapping as propaganda. An amazing piece of history. Four-and-a-half stars.
Source: Frank Jacobs’ awesome Strange Maps blog
Berlin’s troubled post-World War II history led to a fascinating dual history for transit in that city, divided into East and West sectors. This West Berlin U-Bahn map from 1977 – at the height of the Cold War – shows that division in a stark, but also curiously understated fashion. The infamous Berlin Wall that completely divided the city is prosaically referred to as a Sektorengrenze, or “sector boundary”.
All U-Bahn lines are still shown, but the East Berlin-exclusive lines are rendered as thin black lines with the legend, “Railway stations which can be reached only with the trains of the East BGV”.
At the same time, stations on the 6 and 8 lines passing through the East Sector are crossed out. Here, the legend reads, “Railway stations where trains do not stop”. These are the infamous Geisterbahnhofe, or “ghost stations”, patrolled by East German border guards to prevent unauthorised crossings into West Berlin. The one station in East Berlin that remained open was Friedrichstrasse, an official checkpoint between the two sectors.
Interestingly, the S-Bahn is not represented at all on the map: it was entirely controlled by East Germany at this time, even when it ran through West Berlin. As a result, West Berliners were encouraged to boycott the S-Bahn to prevent funding the Soviet-controlled state (even though West Berlin also paid a massive annual fee to East Germany to allow U-Bahn trains to travel through the East sector).
Have we been there? Yes, in 2004, long after the collapse of the Wall. Pretty much the only part I saw was a single segment near Potzdamer Platz.
What we like: Fascinating historical and political snapshot.
What we don’t like: Not going to win any awards for its outstanding design. Its primitive design and thin paper (you can clearly see what’s printed on the other side) probably reflect the austerity of the times.
Our rating: Fascinating! Four stars.
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Here’s another example of a metro map overlaid on a city’s street grid – this time from Santiago, Chile. This system has some marvellous innovations, with a bike sharing program (BiciMetro) and libraries (BiblioMetro) integrated at many stations, but the map somewhat fails to live up to those modern, forward-thinking ideas.
Have we been there? No.
What we like: Clean layout, with large easy-to-read (if not particularly stylish) text. The roads are given the right informational weight – they’re there if you need them, but don’t detract from the main purpose of the map.
What we don’t like: Some very clumsy curves where routes change direction, especially on Line 5 between Las Parcelas and Del Sol and then through Baquedano.
The express route on Line 1 seems very tacked on and suffers from Adobe Illustrator “Rounded Corners” syndrome – the curves don’t nest properly with the main Line 1 route and it looks very ugly.
Some sections of the map seem overly cramped in comparison with other parts, probably a consequence of letting the street grid dictate layout.
Finally, it’s all well and good to show us where the airport is (way over there to the northwest of the city), but how the heck do we get there?
Our rating: Functional, but a little clumsy and inelegant in parts. Three stars.
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Become a Patron!Source: Metro de Santiago website
A photo from our good friend, Matt’ Johnson, showing a very early system map (circa 1974 to 1979) for the MARTA commuter rail system in Atlanta. Compare to the current map here. Click on the source link at the bottom of the post to read Matt’s comprehensive notes over on Flickr.
I’ll just note that I really like the clean, uncluttered design; especially the subtle grey background with the underlying and unlabelled road network reversed out in white.
Source: tracktwentynine/Flickr
I really, really don’t know what to think about this map. On one hand, it looks amazing, with a solid and well applied design theme. On the other, it’s so rich with information (with around 200 Metro-run routes plus those of Municipal bus operators!) that’s it’s almost impossible to make anything out clearly.
Maybe this is a case of form over function, or maybe it needs to be viewed at it’s actual poster dimensions (which, according to the original PDF are 47 inches along each side).
So a question to my LA readers – have you ever actually used this map? Is it helpful, or does it make your head spin?
Have we been there? Yes, but haven’t caught a bus or a train there.
What we like: Lovely looking design, tying in well with Metro’s whole corporate look. Incredibly comprehensive.
What we don’t like: The limited colour palette (one colour for each type of service) makes it hard to follow routes in complex areas – you have to rely on finding the next instance of the route number you’re trying to follow, which isn’t always easy. Route termini need to be marked more clearly.
Our rating: ?????
Source: LA Metro website
By the time you read this, I’ll be lazing around on a beach in Hawaii on a well-earned break – but thanks to the wonders of scheduled posts, I can still share this new teaser image of my ongoing Boston MBTA map redesign with you.
This one shows the central part of Boston with my conceptual grid overlaid on top, so you can see how important elements relate to each other. Every design decision made here is intentional: this is not one of those grids people create at the end of a project to make it look better thought-out than it actually was.
I decided right at the beginning that the Orange and Green lines should form a big sweeping arc centred on Bowdoin station; it just seemed more elegant than short curves linked by straight segments. Note how the radius used for the Green Line’s curve is then repeated for the Blue Line between Government Center and Aquarium. The Orange Line’s radius is reused and flipped northwards of North Station. The Red Line is also neatly and perfectly tangential to the radius of the Orange Line as it heads towards Charles/MGH.
The other major compositional element is the strong horizontal axis created along the Red Line, through Bowdoin, Haymarket and Maverick stations, and on to the “C” marker for the Airport Silver Line station. This gives the whole map a strong visual base to hold it together, and works really well in my opinion.
Venice is one of those places that has to be experienced to fully appreciate it. Forever and inextricably tied to the ocean, Venice’s transit system has always been vaporetti and traghetti rather than buses and trains. You walk, or you get on a boat – there is no other way to get around. As shown in my photo above (taken on a misty morning at the Ferrovia wharf), there’s a certain sense of mystery and timelessness to Venice, but I feel this map fails to live up to that expectation.
Have we been there? Yes back in 2003. Cruising the Grand Canal on the No. 1 is awesome, as is heading out to Murano and Burano on the lagoon.
What we like: A comprehensive guide to waterborne transit services in Venice. Uses San Marco as its major landmark, as well as cleverly showing the bridges (also important landmarks and attractions) that cross the Grand Canal.
What we don’t like: Surprisingly hard to read – there’s a lot of routes, and following them around the twisty canals to the individual wharves is not easy. It’s sometimes also hard to make out which side of the canal a stop is on.Doesn’t show the locations where the traghetti – large passenger gondolas – cross the Grand Canal: an important passenger link (but admittedly mainly used only by locals).
Despite the nice design that the map is wrapped in (I love the “HelloVenezia” logo), the map itself is very bland, with a dull grey background and standard Helvetica text.
Our rating: A hugely wasted opportunity to make something as unique as the city of Venice itself. No sense of place or history. Two-and-a-half-stars.
Source: Hello Venezia website
What’s that, Green Line? Yes, I do think you look wonderful when all your stations are shown! A work in progress screen shot of my Boston MBTA “T” map redesign. And this isn’t even the coolest part. Stay tuned!
