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NYC’s subway map isn’t an accident, but a century of contentious argument about more than just wayfinding. Peter Lloyd takes us on a ride through the history of New York City’s subway maps, exposing a world of visionary ideas, big personalities, and public opinion battles. The NYC subway map wasn’t just drawn up overnight—it’s the product of decades of creative tension, with each iteration capturing a new chapter of the city’s growth.
Sponsored by:
Expedition Works
Hi. We’re a full–service design cooperative – let’s work together to make your journey with a purpose successful.
Peter Lloyd is, by profession, a software engineer. In the mid-1990s, however, he started collecting maps of underground railway systems, starting with London, where he lived, but branching out into a worldwide hunt. By the mid-noughties he had begun more seriously researching the New York City subway map – trawling archives and interviewing designers of the map. In 2012, Rochester Institute of Technology published his book, Vignelli: Transit Maps. Since then he has been working on a complete multi-volume history of the NYC subway map.
“ The subway map matters more than just it’s a navigation tool because it gives us a picture of the city we live in. Every map is a poem, a visual poem in a way. It’s a story, it’s a narrative about one person’s understanding of what’s out there.”
– Peter Lloyd
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NYC’s subway map isn’t an accident, but a century of contentious argument about more than just wayfinding. Peter Lloyd takes us on a ride through the history of New York City’s subway maps, exposing a world of visionary ideas, big personalities, and public opinion battles. The NYC subway map wasn’t just drawn up overnight—it’s the product of decades of creative tension, with each iteration capturing a new chapter of the city’s growth.
Sponsored by:
Expedition Works
Hi. We’re a full–service design cooperative – let’s work together to make your journey with a purpose successful.
Peter Lloyd is, by profession, a software engineer. In the mid-1990s, however, he started collecting maps of underground railway systems, starting with London, where he lived, but branching out into a worldwide hunt. By the mid-noughties he had begun more seriously researching the New York City subway map – trawling archives and interviewing designers of the map. In 2012, Rochester Institute of Technology published his book, Vignelli: Transit Maps. Since then he has been working on a complete multi-volume history of the NYC subway map.
“ The subway map matters more than just it’s a navigation tool because it gives us a picture of the city we live in. Every map is a poem, a visual poem in a way. It’s a story, it’s a narrative about one person’s understanding of what’s out there.”
– Peter Lloyd
This post came from our weekly-ish newsletter. Feel free to signup below.