Tokyo, New York, and Dubai are three of the most recognisable city silhouettes in the world. Their skylines have nothing in common. Their street networks are equally different. As map posters, each does something unique.
Tokyo: organised chaosTokyo's street network is not planned like a Western city. There are no grand boulevards. No numbered grids. The streets follow the contours of the land and the irregular boundaries of historical landholdings. The result is a dense, organic web that reads almost like a circuit board.
Up close, Tokyo has the most detail. Every street is different. The pattern never repeats. In Noir, the effect is hypnotic. In Strip, it becomes cyberpunk. Browse Tokyo map posters.
The trade-off: from across the room, Tokyo looks like a grey mass. You need to be within a few feet to appreciate the detail. Not great for a large room. Perfect for a study or hallway where you can stop and look.
New York: the gridNew York above 14th Street is a perfect rectangular grid. Avenues run north-south. Streets run east-west. Central Park is a massive green rectangle carved out of the centre. The grid is so rigid that the poster reads almost like an architectural diagram.
New York works well at any distance. From across the room, the rectangular shape of Manhattan is unmistakable. Up close, the grid gives you a sense of order. It is the most legible of the three.
In Blueprint, New York looks like an engineering drawing. In Noir, it looks like a newspaper. In Strip, it looks like Times Square. Browse New York map posters.
Dubai: the sprawlDubai is the opposite of dense in the traditional sense. Its streets are wide. Its blocks are large. The city spreads horizontally before it goes vertical. The map poster shows something photographs hide: the Palm Jumeirah, the long axis of Sheikh Zayed Road, the irregular coast.
Dubai reads well from a distance. The shape of the city is unusual. The contrast between the dense centre and the empty desert around it is striking. In Swell, the coastal aspect comes through. In Wander, the desert tones suit the city.
Which one to buyTokyo for detail you need to stand close to. New York for something that reads clearly from anywhere in the room. Dubai for a conversation starter. Or buy all three. They look good as a set: three approaches to urban density, each one showing a different way a city organises itself.
Browse all cities.