Subway Maps
Milano M3 Dergano
After finishing my trams project, I got interested in the metro of Milan.
The metro of Milan is incredibly uniform. But in its uniformity lies its beauty.
As far as I know, the Milan metro is the only metro in the world that uses the colour coding of its lines elaborately throughout the design of the stations and trains. M1 is all about red, M2 is all about green and M3 is pretty much all yellow. M5, the most recent line, is purple, but a bit less obvious.
So I thought it could be cool to make an alternative map of the metro, showing the colors of the lines.
So I did. I visited all 106 stations, took photos and made the map.
La Metropolitana di Milano
2020
I couldn’t stop there.
I’ve always loved the U-Bahn of Berlin and the total outburst of creativity that it is. A stark contrast of the metro of Milan.
Pretty much every station is different and many have striking architecture and unusual design features, demonstrating the contrasts between old and new, east and west. Many stations even have their own unique font for the name plates. Travelling on the Berlin U-Bahn is like traveling through time and through the rich history of the city.
I wanted to show the contrast with the uniformity of the metro of Milan, so I decided to make a map of the U-Bahn of Berlin, using the name plates of the stations this time, to show the variety in the fonts and tile designs.
I visited all 173 stations, took photos and made the map.
Die U-Bahn von Berlin
2020
Now I was hooked.
The U-Bahn von München shows how metro stations can be: uplifting and inspiring public spaces, through striking and varied architecture and design features, further promoting public, emission-free transport.
And whilst there is creativity, it seems more structured, clean and planned out than the U-Bahn of Berlin.
I wanted to show this contrast, so I visited all 96 stations, took photos and made the map.
Die U-Bahn von München
2020
Becoming the expert.
I developed various techniques to quickly jump out of the train, take the photo and jump back in the train, to avoid waiting for 20 minutes in the cold for the next train. I became a master in developing the travel plan through the subway system without having to visit stations twice and minimising travel time. A traveling sales man problem on steroids!
I was ready to take on the Métro of Paris, a beast with 301 stations. It took me 7 days to cover all.
Le Métro de Paris
2020
Subways really tell the stories of the cities that they serve.
The uniformity of the Metropolitana of Milan. The total outburst of creativity of the U-Bahn of Berlin. The architectural marvels of the U-Bahn of München. The beauty and grittiness of the Paris Métro.
Once the COVID restrictions are lifted, I’ll be heading to New York!
