MISC | Fantasy Network Maps

[Capzilla]

@MarkO: I've seen the Dutch version on the Dutch forum but I refuse to buy translations for publications of which I speak the language (unfortunately limited to Dutch, English, German, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish at the moment).

I won't buy each edition of a book, but as time progresses you'll probably have another sale here for the third or fourth one.

[Alargule]

Snob...

Since the Dutch translation is readily available and - I presume - cheaper than buying the original one, I'd just buy it. Oh wait, I already did

[Alargule]

@ MarkO: you're right about the stations. But my first concern was to design a map that would be a schematic derivative of this one:

Originally Posted by Alargule

Furthermore, I saw you included the map of Max Roberts in your book (at least: the Dutch version). I can remember Max posting his drafts at SubTalk (the present SubChat), which inspired me to make this map. I think the NY MTA should reconsider using its present semi-geographic map. It doesn't really stand out, and makes a terrible mess of the Brooklyn Downtown area.

[MarkO]

CapzillaRobert makes a fair point (though if you're sort of guy who needs the latest of everything, the Dutch version has about 100 new maps in :-)) - and cudos to him for speaking so many lingo's - I'm having trouble learning just one more (French) but yes I'm sure MMOTW will be available in other languages too and I know there will be a new English edition in 2007 - and would love to include more space for fantasy maps as they are much more experimental than some of the official versions. :-)

Regards the current NY map; (speaking as someone who's only visited rather than lived there) I must agree that it is seems a bit strange that New Yorkers (or rather the heads of MTA design department) have chosen a geographic map for a city that's so in love the grid.

The popular story was that the cities most recent diagram (Vignell's) somehow "uspet" users because stations were not were not shown in exactly the same relation to their geographic reality. Well (much as I love the Vignelli map as a piece of art) I cant really see why it could not have just been tweaked a little? After all New Yorkers had been using a diagrammatic style of map since George Salomens 1959 version so it strikes me the drastic move back to geographic was a slightly extreme reaction they've been too embarrassed to move back from ever since.

Certainly the Kick map, Max Roberts, the Columbia University version, your own erstwhile efforts and many other designers have shown that it is entirely possible (if not preferable) to draw such a complex network as a more user-friendly diagram (and in the case of the Kick map in particular http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/project.cfm?id=267 still include the streets and districts with modern computer colouring techniques).

Those messy clumps of multi-coloured knitting wool on the curent NY map in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and elsewhere are no use to man or beast and a concerted campaign by map designers might still shift the MTA into tidying things up, maybe?! We can live in hope!

[Alargule]

Maybe we should just spam the MTA with our alternative designs...
Of all attempts for a more user-friendly map, I like Jabbour's attempt (the Kick design map) most. And he really made work of it: he contacted the MTA with his map and held several interviews with local newspapers.
But the MTA seem more interested in building a new Fulton Transit Center with 'a fancy roof' than introducing a more user-friendly map...

[MarkO]

....and finally thanks to the good people at London Underground Blogspot (http://london-underground.blogspot.com) I can include an image of the map I did for the MMOTW book.



Was never intended as a fantasy of map of desired connections, just a quaint way of linking all the worlds exisitng metro systems on a diagram of the world. :-)

Also check out the blogspot - it always has amusing and bizarre stuff on!

x
Mark

[Alargule]

Nice map! I never knew Amsterdam was located near Rostock...

[Bitxofo]

Great map, MarkO!

There are two "Valencia" in the dark blue line.

[Alargule]

"Attention: service from Valencia to Valencia has been suspended due to a passenger fallen ill between Fortaleza and Lisboa."

[Falubaz]

this is a splendide idea! i didn't know Auckland has some kind of metro system.

[micro]

Originally Posted by MarkO

....and finally thanks to the good people at London Underground Blogspot (http://london-underground.blogspot.com) I can include an image of the map I did for the MMOTW book.

Thanks, MarkO, for putting it online!! As I told you earlier I love that map! I'm glad that many geographical and spelling errors from the first edition have been fixed but I still found some (not that I was looking for them, but I have a sixth sense ). Is this second edition also available as a poster from London Transit Museum?

Some errors:
Hanover (only one n in English).
Tehran
Shenzhen
Kharkov
Munich and Brescia seem to share the same station
Linz is not between Munich and Nuremberg
Xian, China has a metro u/c

[Riise]

That world map is seriously cool!

[TDude695]

Click for big.

Here's a fantasy map of Toronto I made. The original plans were by someone else in pdf file, but I made it into an image and changed a few things for a piece of fiction I was writing. Original credit for most of the ideas goes to Warren Schnurr.

[Bitxofo]

Originally Posted by Falubaz

this is a splendide idea! i didn't know Auckland has some kind of metro system.

Auckland hasn't got a full metro system, same for Sydney, Melbourne and some other cities...

[Gil]

Originally Posted by Falubaz

this is a splendide idea! i didn't know Auckland has some kind of metro system.

The map is loosely based on the London Underground. Given the placing of the other cities in Australia somthing had to fill in the place of New Cross station on the East London line. One solution would be to move Jakarta down to Aukland and replace Jakarta with Cebu which has been trying to get a system similar to Manila going. The entire South American network is the Picadilly line running through Heathrow. Maybe the Croydon Tramlink should be used to show South Africa, Australia and New Zealand where there isn't a metro system per se but something more in line of the Tramlink.


@TDude695

I've got my own variation of the map but I'm still tweaking some details and settling on station names. I've also included the streetcar network on the map. Just trying to find an audience to settle some of the details.

[MarkO]

Cheers for all the suggestions and comments, Micro's spellings well noted!

Map was originally intended as way to show all the cities in the MMOTW book (with the much repeated proviso that we included some cities that were not metro's in the strictest sense - Stuttgart, Manchester, Lausanne, Jacksonville, San Diego, the Australian cities etc being just a few examples). Those places were included (as opposed to, for example Croydon, or some of the other equally valid light rail cities which were not included) simply because they had interesting maps, often used to give the impression of a metro-like service.

Auckland and Bangalore for example had plans to build Metro's though gather Auckland's now dropped theirs, but the map was worth including. Plus Gil is right about needing more southern hemisphere systems to balance it out.

Defining which is or is not a real Metro isn't an exact science as more and more hybrid systems emerge (should we for example include all monorails? modern low floor tram systems etc?). Problem with extending boundaries too wide is that a book of maps of every single rail-based system would become unwieldy, so we had to excercise a bit of restraint! Not surprisingly more and more older material turns up all the time, much of which I'd love to include in future editions, and same story with the fantasy maps, but we'll have to see how space restrictions go :-)

A properly updated poster may be available next year! Keep y'all posted.

Love the Toronto Fantasy system too TDude!

Mark

[MarkO]

....and while we are at it, here's another fantasy map (for visual delight and world-wide giggling at how poor the UK is nowadays at digging new tunnels - well outside London any rate!)

The idea started with wondering what to do with the core spine (Oxford Road/University/Fallowfield/Withington) which is one of the busiest bus corridors in Europe and certainly would qualify for being converted to light rail at the very least, had it have been in any other major Euro country but Britain! However as that route passes along quite narrow roads (especially through Rusholme) the idea for burying any future tram lines and then extending the routes into a fully fledged fantasy metro (or pre-metro) seemed an obvious leap.

Most of the other routes are just there to make the map look nice (although they do 'serve' many areas which are not well connected to any other urban rail now or planned) but hey who says we can't play?! Especially love the idea of Manchester having a station called "Opera" (one of the most common metro station names in the world) and "Royal Exchange" (because it just sounds so grand), plus since Manchester really does have a Victoria and a Piccadilly station whose to say they might not name future urban rail routes after these mainline stations???!!!

Hang on! Just having a brief re-draw of that map! It'll be back later

[Bitxofo]

@MarkO:
Correct "Palmero", it is "Palermo".

[melbourne Engineer]

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]here is some ideas that i had for LA it helps separate metrolink and freight trains allowing much better frequencies on metrolink (3ish trains per hour each way on all lines). simpler opperation and more integration with the subway and light rail.

[jserradell]

Hello metrofriends

Here is my new METROPOLIS CITY map.
I hope you enjoy it.

Suggestions and comments (about errors...) welcomed.