Though there’s a focus on online resources for transit planners, we’re still big fans of the printed word. We recently picked up a copy of Transit Maps Of The World, lovingly edited and written by Mark Ovenden. The book lives up to its title, offering detailed transit maps of every public rail system in the world.
Even if you’re not a transit junkie like us, it’s impossible not to enjoy the hundreds of full color transit maps. From the very Teutonic and rigid map of the Hamburg Regional Rail to the organic and colorful Mexico City transit guide, each page offers a journey into a different world and design philosophy. The glossy stock and vibrant colors are so unavoidably pleasing it’s nearly impossible not to peek at it when it’s sitting on your coffee table or desk.
Transit and design junkies alike will enjoy the humorous, informative and detailed descriptions of how transit map designs evolve along with the systems themselves and reflect the needs and personalities of the riders. A good example of Overland’s style comes from his description of Montreal’s transit system:
The identity of Montreal itself draws heavily upon the elegance of its European motherland. As the center of staunchly Quebec, the hybrid Anglo-French nature of the city is reflected in virtually every detail of the system. It was initiated using the rubber-tired trains pioneered by RATP in Paris in the 1950s. Secondly, given that French is the official language, the majority of station names conjure up Parisian life with such evocative echoes as Champ-de-Mars and Vendome.
This great book serves not just as a reference, but also as a guidebook for transit planners. Watching Tokyo’s system evolve, the importance of establishing a design language and thematic elements is suddenly clear. We can’t ignore that what we do today will be continued on after us and therefore we must make decisions based on clear objectives and not sudden whim or convenience.
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RELATED: Making Good Transit Maps
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