Transit Maps: USA

All posts tagged: USA

Review: New York Subway and Paris Métro Architecture and Design Maps by Blue Crow Media

December 8, 2019

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Gift Guide, Reviews

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architecture, Blue Crow Media, cartography, design, Europe, France, gift guide, graphic design, Jason Woods, Linda Tonn, Mark Ovenden, metro, MTA, New York, New York Subway, Nigel Green, Paris, Paris Metro, Sandra Bloodworth, subway, USA

Transit Maps previously reviewed Blue Crow’s London Underground Architecture and Design Map back in 2017, and they’ve just released two new maps in the series celebrating Paris and New York’s transit systems (there’s also another map in the series for Moscow). As before, the maps are simple but elegant in their execution, with a geographical map of the system on one side and the explanatory text and photos on the other. They come in handsome […]

Historical Map: Denver RTD Bus Network, 1977

October 2, 2019

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Historical Maps

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1977, 3.5 stars, bus, Colorado, Denver, RTD, The Ride, USA

A great example of late 1970s American transit map design from Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) with thick, chunky route lines, minimalist design sensibilities and tightly letter-spaced sans serif headings. The map has the potential to get messy really quickly, but it’s actually all handled rather deftly and cleanly. Colour-coding differentiates between different service types (local, express, circulator and regional), and route numbers and road names are placed inside the thick route lines, which generally […]

Historical Map: Tourist’s Trolley Map of St. Louis and Environs, 1915

September 27, 2019

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Historical Maps

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1915, Missouri, St Louis, streetcar map, trolley, United Railways, USA

A fairly crudely-drawn map of St. Louis’ extensive streetcar network, reaching far past the city limits to the cities of Florissant and St. Charles, as well as to the pleasures of the Meramec Highlands and Lake Park. Like many maps of St. Louis from this period, the map is oriented with north to the right so that “downtown” is literally at the bottom of the map. Of particular note is the message at the bottom […]

Submission – Unofficial Future Map: San Diego Trolley by Ted Rosenbaum

August 28, 2019

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Future Maps, Unofficial Maps

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bus, California, light rail, MTS, passenger rail, San Diego, San Diego Trolley, submission, Ted Rosenbaum, USA

Submitted by Ted, who says: When the Mid-Coast extension opens in a couple years, San Diego’s going to need a new trolley map. Their current map has some odd angles and no references to the city’s geography, so I took a shot at a new diagram that fixes those issues. I used big looping curves to fit San Diego’s more languid style, and make the connecting services more explicit. Would love to get your thoughts […]

Fantasy Map: Los Angeles 2050 by Josh Vredevoogd

July 25, 2019

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Fantasy Maps, Future Maps

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2050, 4 stars, BRT, bus, bus rapid transit, California, commuter rail, high speed rail, Josh Vredevoogd, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Metro, metro, passenger rail, subway, USA

Submitted by Josh, who says: Hello! I’m a designer in Los Angeles excited by all the new rail infrastructure being built here. I decided to make a map showing what the Metro network might look like in 30 years assuming generous transit funding. It’s my first time designing a map this complex so I’m definitely curious for your thoughts. The new lines are mostly built from pieces and combinations of current plans, including a finished […]

Fantasy Map: Portland MAX in the Style of the Vignelli New York Subway Map

May 17, 2019

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Fantasy Maps, Mash-Up Maps

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4.5 stars, aerial tram, commuter rail, homage, light rail, mash up, Massimo Vignelli, New York Subway map, Oregon, Portland, streetcar, TriMet, USA

I missed this when it was released yesterday, but those TriMet designers (who really do seem to have too much time on their hands!) have released another mash-up map, this time riffing off the (in)famous 1970s New York Subway diagram by Massimo Vignelli. It’s probably the best one so far, mimicking the style almost perfectly. If you’re going to do a homage, you may as well go all in, and that’s exactly what’s been done […]

Historical Map: Bay Area Regional Transit Connections, 1981

May 13, 2019

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Historical Maps

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1981, 3 stars, AC Transit, BART, Bay Area, bus, California, commuter rail, ferry, Golden Gate Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, Handel Gothic, heavy rail, Muni, Oakland, Regional Transit Association, SamTrans, San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Railway, San Jose, Santa Clara County Transit, submission, typography, USA

Submitted by Calley, who says: This was found via the /r/BayArea subreddit. It appears to be an authentic transit map from September 1981 still hanging in the 12th Street Oakland City Center BART station! It’s published by an entity I’ve never heard of called the “Regional Transit Association.” On your blog I’ve previously seen a very clumsy and messy map that attempted to show the myriad transit systems of the Bay, including rail and connecting […]

Submission – Historical Map: Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Routes, 1952 by Carter Moore

March 28, 2019

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Historical Maps, Unofficial Maps

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1952, Alabama, Carter Moore, Chicago, City of New Orleans, Florida, Illinois, Illinois Central, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Orleans, passenger rail, St Louis, submission, Tennessee, USA

Submitted by Carter, who says: I’ve always been fascinated with trains and tube-style maps, so I decided to make my own based on my home-town’s railroad. I found an old Official Guide which I used as my source for this map. I’d like to hear what your think of it. Transit Maps says: Carter says that this is his first map, and I think it’s absolutely amazing for a first effort. Even with an official […]

New Project: Field Notes Brand “Mile Marker” Map

March 26, 2019

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My Transit Maps, Prints Available

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Cameron Booth, cartography, commission, Field Notes, for sale, highway, highway map, Interstate Highway System, Interstates, road map, U.S. Highways, U.S. Routes, USA

I’ve been sworn to absolute secrecy on this project since mid-January, so I’m very excited to finally share it. Early today, Field Notes (the purveyor of beautiful memo and note books) released their latest quarterly limited edition, “Mile Marker,” with cover designs celebrating the Interstate Highway system. Included with subscriptions – and available for separate purchase on the Field Notes website – is an old-school foldable highway map, designed by me in collaboration with the […]

Historical Fantasy Map: Proposed 1974 Detroit Rapid Transit System by Jake Berman

March 25, 2019

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Fantasy Maps, Historical Maps

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1974, Detroit, Jake Berman, Michigan, proposed, rapid transit, SEMTA, South East Michigan Transit Authority, USA

Jake Berman is one of those transit map design enthusiasts who are simply too prolific to note everything they do – suffice it to say that you should head over to his website and check out all the cool transit map things he makes. However, I do have to share this map – recreating a failed attempt at a south-east Michigan rail-based rapid transit system – if only because I think that Jake has absolutely […]