From Paris to Tokyo and New York to Mexico City, the way we visualise cities is often through the medium of public transport maps – none more so than in London.
Now, an author has published a fascinating exploration of transit diagrams from 53 global destinations to demonstrate their history and cultural importance.
Iconic Transit Maps by Mark Ovenden takes a look at how intelligent graphic design has made complex transport networks accessible for locals and tourists alike.
Cartographers began depicting railways as soon they were built in the 19th century, before the art became more refined as tracks spread across the world.
Initially lines were shown printed over geographically accurate topographic maps in a contrasting colour, but this could often be confusing in densely built-up areas.
CHICAGO: The Rapid Transit map of Chicago from 1940 describes the system as ‘fast, dependable, frequent’
NEW YORK: The ‘Interborough Rapid Transit Company’ map was drawn in 1925 by ‘HLS’ and ‘JWG’
TOKYO: A colourful Tokyo Metro diagram from 1965 highlights the network’s circular Yamanote line
BERLIN: This Berlin Untergrundbahn (U-Bahn) map from 1910 shows both open or planned metro lines
Surface details then began to be reduced and eventually removed to help make things clearer, especially in cities which grew multiple lines such as London.
Simpler topological diagrams were produced, with geometric shapes and limited angles more commonplace from the 1920s amid the Art Deco movement.
One of the biggest breakthroughs was the London Underground map first devised in 1931 by Harry Beck, on which countless designs globally have since been based.
His map, which was initially rejected by Tube bosses for being too revolutionary, aimed to enlarge the dense central section in relation to the outlying areas.
LONDON: An 1855 plan of London’s Metropolitan Railway showing proposed stations from Paddington to the Post Office and connections with mainline stations on a route which was never built
LONDON: An Underground map from 1910 shows a jumble of lines compared to today’s clearer version
LONDON: The first Harry Beck Underground map was released in 1933 and is based on a circuit diagram
MADRID: An orthogonal diagram of Madrid’s Metro issued in 1981 which is clear on a white background
PARIS: A diagram of the Paris Metro system from 1913 shows the lines on top of a geographical map
PARIS: The Paris Metro map was updated four decades later in 1941 to show a much clearer diagram
It was also geographical inaccurate and featured only horizontal, vertical and 45-degree lines with the aim of helping passengers understand the network better.
As the Tube map grew in popularity, other cartographers took notice with similar styles – and the version used by Londoners today is still based on Mr Beck’s creation.
But not everyone followed, with subways opening in the 1950s and 60s in Lisbon, Milan and Mexico City using geographic maps to help people locate new stations.
The new book is a curated collection of maps dating from their earliest appearance 160 years ago, featuring cities such as Algiers, Cape Town, Boston and Chicago.
Mark Ovenden’s book Iconic Transit Maps is on sale for £30 and is published by Prestel
Other locations in the book published by Prestel include Montreal, Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Doha, Amsterdam, Auckland, Prague, Sydney and Washington DC.
In a foreword, top German designer Erik Spiekermann wrote: ‘Those of us who design information for public transit systems know that the most important factor when attracting passengers is neither safety nor price, nor even frequency of service, but information.
‘If a transit map looks inviting and legible, the city itself becomes accessible. Transit maps are the small print for the use of a place, and if they’re designed like small print, the service will not get used properly.
‘Without information that looks both attractive and legible, nobody will venture into unknown territory, enter dark tunnels or crowded vehicles and give themselves up to a system they have no control over.’
Iconic Transit Maps: The World’s Best Designs is published by Prestel for £30
