Tonight, SPUR debuts "Urban Cartography," a new exhibition that takes a look the last 20 years of map making. The history of cartography goes back millennia, of course, but just in the last 10 years—since the birth of Google Maps—the tools of map making have landed in all kinds of hands, enabling everyone from data miners and nosy neighbors to snide humorists. And though we love good old vintage maps of San Francisco just as much as the next nerd, this exhibition showcases the more au courant data mashups of Eric Fischer and the handiwork of Stamen Design, who famously tailed Silicon Valley tech shuttles through the city to produce a map of the region's biggest private transportation network.
The maps on view shed light on everything from population movement to sea-level rise and transportation. Tonight's opening will also mark the debut of MUNI's new route map, which will soon be plastered on bus shelters around town. The thicknesses of the lines reflect the frequency of the buses on the routes, which should make choosing among transit options easier. The exhibition debuts at 6:00 p.m. at SPUR's 654 Mission Street HQ, and will be open during regular operating hours through January.
· Exhibition Opening: Urban Cartography [SPUR]
· Judgy Infographic Reveals What Your Zip Code Says About You [Curbed SF]
· Spy on Everyone with This Insanely Detailed Property Tax Map [Curbed SF]
· This San Francisco Map Will Offend Pretty Much Everyone [Curbed SF]
· More Old Maps of San Francisco Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind [Curbed SF]
· Mapping Muni [Curbed SF]