Map vs. Diagram

The NYC subway map(s) have gone through various transitions over the years, from hand-drawn schematics to diagrams of “modern design.” The original maps only showed the lines of each respective company: Interborough Rapid Transit, Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit, and Independent Subway System. By 1904, existing lines had been consolidated into the two former privately owned systems, while the city opened up the IND in 1932. The city then bought the IRT and BMT in 1940, but the maps continued to be drawn in the two different styles of the companies for some times afterwards. In 1958, the maps were redesigned and consolidated by George Salomon, and again in 1967 to unify the BMT and IND divisions.

A 1972 redesign by Massimo Vignelli strayed from loose geographical interpretation to a more diagrammatic scheme; while hailed as “a nearly canonical piece of abstract graphic design,” a “modern classic,” “many riders found it the opposite of understandable.” The train lines only ran horizontally, vertically, or at 45° angles, it didn’t depict much of the city aboveground. It can now be found in the MOMA’s collection of postwar design. In 1979 Michael Hertz’s design replaced Vignelli’s, though Vignelli worked on The Weekender.

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(image source)

Apparently, the NYC map “is an anomaly among subway maps around the world, in that it shows streets, parks, and neighborhoods juxtaposed among curved subway lines.” Though approximating geography is possibly for the main benefit of tourists (x, x), the current map is still not geographically accurate, though it gives a relative idea of the space of the city. Artists have made various spin-offs, but today’s Hertz-style map continues. Especially with Google Maps and transit apps overlaying the subway lines over the actual geography, that seems like the most sensible option. For comparison:

For more vintage and worldwide subway maps, as well as trolley/light rail lines and commuter rail routes, check out NYCsubway.org. I particularly liked these:

1904 IRT; 1912 BMT; 1939, IRT, BMT, IND; 1948; 1959; 1968

— Lora