artist, historian, cartographer, wrote a book called *the lost subways of north america*, occasionally tweets about things
Articles by Jake Berman
Safer Roads Are Just A Vacation Away
We all want better active transportation in this country. But the only way we’ll get it is if more Americans — and more important, their politicians — go on vacation outside of this country. The fact is, in most of America it requires a car to take a hike or a bike ride. Even our national parks — which were set aside to protect public spaces from the pollution, noise and chaos of modern life — require a vehicle to get to.
Safer Roads Are Just A Vacation Away
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Learn from Japan to Get New York City Commuter Rail on Track
What the MTA and NJ Transit can learn about rail from Japanese train systems The Japanese railway system is the most extensive and efficient system of public transportation in the world. Over a quarter of all Japanese passenger-miles are traveled by train, compared to 8.1% in the UK and 0.3% in the United States.
The lost subways of North America. A cartographic guide to the past, present, and what might have been
Ayuda Buscar en la ayuda Buscar en la ayuda The lost subways of North America. A cartographic guide to the past, present, and what might have been
Eyes on the Street: DOT's Greenway 'Detour' is Simply Unsafe for Cyclists
The East River Greenway is going to be under construction until the end of 2026 as part of the East Side and Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Projects. This vital work will nonetheless eliminate a key part of Manhattan’s protected bikeway network. This is unacceptable. Right now, the Greenway is closed between E. 20th Street and John Street in the Financial District.
What New York Can Learn from European Buses
New York City’s buses are in crisis, and have been for a long time. In the year 2000, MTA buses carried 699 million passengers per year. Even as New York City has grown over the last quarter-century, gaining 470,000 new residents, bus ridership has dropped by 41 percent, to 409 million. Fare evasion is rampant. Over one-third of passengers refuse to pay, costing the MTA $568 million in 2024. Nearly one-third of buses run late.
The Lost Subways of North America
A Cartographic Guide to the Past, Present, and What Might Have Been A visual exploration of the transit histories of twenty-three US and Canadian cities. Every driver in North America shares one miserable, soul-sucking universal experience—being stuck in traffic. But things weren’t always like this. Why is it that the mass transit systems of most cities in the United States and Canada are now utterly inadequate?
How a Lawyer, a Businessman, and the Mafia Destroyed Public Transit in the Twin Cities
There is a common folk theory that the North American streetcar disappeared because of a conspiracy. Allegedly, industrialists connected with the auto and motor bus industries bought up North American streetcar lines, then shut them down to sell more cars and buses. Made famous by the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the theory has little truth to it. By the 1930s, the for-profit streetcar business was rapidly becoming unprofitable.
Digital civic engagement: Aiming to reduce homelessness in New Orleans
In most major cities, homelessness is a problem, and New Orleans is no different. That being said, however, New Orleans certainly has its unique quirks when it comes to the the homeless problem that exacerbates it. While the pandemic was a shock to a lot of people’s livelihoods leaving many homeless, this was on a national scale.
Strategy Call With Paul Gough's Team
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The Lost Subways of North America
Date, new to old Date, old to new
Louisville, Kentucky streetcar system and suburban electric rail, 1906
Fifty-Three Studio Regular price $50.00 Sale price $0.00 Quantity Louisville of the early 20th century was a rapidly-growing industrial city dominated by a shamelessly corrupt Democratic political machine. The biggest issue facing the city at the time was good old-fashioned political corruption, with independent Democrats and Republicans allying against the forces of patronage and the machine politics of the city mayor.
Kansas City Electric Interurban Railways map, 1924
Fifty-Three Studio Regular price $30.00 Sale price $0.00 Quantity Kansas City of 1924 was a great city to party in. The city was run by the corrupt Pendergast Democratic machine, which had its tentacles in nearly every single aspect of municipal life. While a glance at a 1920s law book would tell you that alcohol, bribery and gambling were all illegal, in Kansas City those laws simply never applied. Tom Pendergast's machine saw to that. Pendergast was larger-than-life.
L.A.'s Lost Transit — Strong Towns
They don’t build neighborhoods like they used to. That’s at the root of the housing crisis that plagues rich coastal cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. I’m going to use LA as an illustration. In the popular mind, Los Angeles is defined by the freeway, the automobile, and endless suburban sprawl. Four million people live in the city proper, and nineteen million live in the megalopolis. Four in five Angelenos drive to work, while only one in twenty takes mass transit.
Mapping Pittsburgh-area transit from streetcars and grandiose plans to the buses and trains we see today
Editor’s note: The author of this article, Jake Berman, is a New York City-based artist and cartographer. Like most older American cities, Pittsburgh was built by the electric streetcar. In the beginning of the 20th century, mass transit in most American cities was a profitable business — one that was seamlessly intertwined with real estate development and electricity generation. Pittsburgh was no different.
Check Out These Cincinnati Transit Maps That Could Have Been
As the region's public transportation hits a crossroads, these maps of never-finished Cincinnati transportation projects are timely reminders of what could have been. Feb 4, 2019 2 PM Tweet Share Hamilton County's proposed Metro Moves transit planJake BermanIf you've never wondered what Cincinnati would be like had we finished our now-abandoned, unfinished subway system, well, I'm revoking your Cincinnati card right now.
PRE-ORDER A SIGNED COPY: The Lost Subways of North America: A Cartographic Guide to the Past, Present and What Could've Been
My debut book, The Lost Subways of North America: A Cartographic Guide to the Past, Present and What Could Have Been, published by the University of Chicago Press, is scheduled to coming out November 2023. If you pre-order from me by October 15th, I'll send you a copy. Books will ship in early November. Book description from my publisher: Every driver in North America shares one miserable, soul-sucking universal experience—being stuck in traffic. But things weren’t always like this.
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