~pperalta

Yesterday the NY Times published an article about the newest draft of the subway map. The current draft, like the current map, points out major streets, parks, neighborhoods, and other landmarks. The New York map is unique among subway maps in that it is (somewhat) geographically accurate and that it points out things that have nothing to do with the subway. When I was a kid I was very much a map (and subway) geek, and I studied the map thoroughly to the point of almost memorizing it. Not only did I have a good idea of where the routes went, but I also knew where all the major neighborhoods were even though I had never been to most of these places. Whenever I travel to other cities with a subway system, I always miss this feature in their maps as they always show just the subway routes to the exclusion of everything else. In one sense this makes the map easier to read since it is less busy. However I would argue that one does not take the subway just to take it; it is helpful to be able to tell where certain streets lie in proximity to a station.

Apparently I’m not the only one with this opinion. Back in 1972, map designer Massimo Vignelli designed a map that emphasized the routes over everything else. Only straight lines, 45 and 90 degree angles were used. As an MTA spokesman said at the time,

“Maps like these have to make deliberate distortions to clarify. We tried to make sure that nothing unnecessary distracts the eye from the subway routes. There’s no sense in using a transit map for geography lesson.”

However, according to the NY Times article the map was not well received at all. After much complaining, the map was redesigned and a new (much more geographically accurate) version was issued in 1979.

From the article:

Although designers love to discuss why Mr. Vignelli’s schematic map didn’t fly, no single theory has emerged. The graphic designer Michael Bierut, however, suggests that New York’s street grid was to blame.

“Londoners are actually unclear about how close one stop is to the next,” he said. “But a lot of Manhattanites could tell you authoritatively how long it would take to walk from Fifth and 28th to Seventh and 44th. So the geographic discrepancies in the Vignelli map, which are no more than those you find in lots of subway maps around the world — they’re just glaring.”

For more on the 1972 map redesign, see this map guide on subway.com.ru. The site nycsubway.org has a great scan of the 1972 map. This map was discontinued in 1979, so I have very vague memories of it. Looking at this map now I offer the following observations:

• Central Park is a square, and a tiny one at that.
• Roosevelt Island and Randalls Island are completely missing from the map. I was going to point out the missing Tramway link but that was not built until 1976.
• The transfer at 42nd St between the 8th Ave IND (The A, C, E lines) and the Times Square station is not drawn. I’m fairly certain this existed way before the 70′s, and it would be something important to know.
• The Grand St station is on the East River!
• Queens appears to be very small and it appears to have a lot of subway coverage. Even looking at maps in the 80′s and 90′s, the subway coverage of Queens is quite distorted. To see what it really looks like, have a look at this mashup. Queens is much larger than the map indicates, and most of it is not covered by subway.

In learning about this history, the most amusing thing is the quote “There’s no sense in using a transit map for geography lesson.” That is exactly what I used it for, and it has served me well to this day!