The transit map is useful, but doesn't always capture the scale of the engineering feat that produced the world's subways systems.
An article by David Montgomery starts with a simple enough question: "[W]hat would it look like if, high above the skyline, you could actually see where trains were shuttling people around?"
That is, what if subway lines were visible from high above?
"A group of digital artists is revealing just that, using photos taken from airplane windows to highlight the real footprint of metro systems in cities around the world," writes Montgomery. Artists began creating the images and posting them online in 2013, starting with an image of New York by a Serbian artist going by the username "Arnorrian."
A new image of Paris gained viral popularity on Reddit, and now transit fans have created similar images of Budapest, Milan, Cologne, and London.
Montgomery includes the best examples in the source article.
FULL STORY: Getting a Bird’s Eye View of the World’s Subway Systems
Friday Eye Candy: The World's Subway Systems, If You Could See Them From Above
Have you ever flown over a city and imagined all the subway lines running beneath the surface?
Friday Eye Candy: Subway-Style Maps That Explain Everything
Ok maybe not everything, everything—but the recognizable tropes of subway maps do make it easier to explain everything from the development of cities to musical styles to interstellar scale.
The New New York Subway Map Works in Real Time
There's a new chapter, and maybe an end, for the "Great Subway Map Debate."
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
