Picking on (and apart) New York City subway maps is a metropolitan pastime, no different from kvetching over the Mayors latest scandal, or that new banal building on your block. Massimo Vignelli, who architects know for , rolled out his famous MTA map in 1972, only for it to be replaced seven years later (and then again in 1998) by a less abstract version ideated by Michael Hertz Associates. The decision to pull the iteration by Vignelli, Bob Noorda, and Joan Charsyn has long been a sore spot for designers, while the choice was well received by the public. Not long after the famous We New York logo flop, which revisited Milton Glasers iconic 1976 campaignto jumpstart the citys tourism industry after COVID, New Yorkers awoke this week to again relish and debate a piece of Drop Dead 1970s lore. The MTA formally unveiled yesterday its new map that will go up in subway stations and cars all over town, replacing the Hertz drawing. This latest version pays homage to the one Vignelli envisioned, reprinted in 2012 by Waterhouse Cifuentesit utilizes a diagrammatic style, employing bold, straight lines making it much easier for the eye to follow and more suitable for digital users, the MTA said.This week the MTA rolled out a new map of the New York City subway. (Courtesy MTA)The new subway map was drawn in-house by the MTAs Creative Services Mapping Department. The white background, bold colors, horizontal writing and use of black dots make the map more ADA-friendly and easier for people with low-vision or cognitive disabilities to read, the MTA said.Designers also focused on text legibility, keeping text on one line wherever possible making better use of open space to alleviate crowding and using a black subway bullet with a white character to provide maximum contrast for easier reading, MTA added. The legend on the map is now more detailed and includes accessibility, transfer, and safety information, as well as a QR code that leads users to the MTA website. Vignelli v. HertzThe baby wasnt thrown out with the bath water, however. While the new map indeed evokes Vignellis prowess, it maintains certain elements that worked from the Hertz version. Or, to quote Pentagrams Michael Bierut on social media, the new official version mitigates some of the things normal people (i.e. non-designers) found aggravating about the 1972 version, but it is still beautifully faithful to its precise geometric logic.To Bieruts point, the Creative Services Mapping Department kept the official brand colors established by the 1979 and 1998 Hertz maps, making this iteration a hybrid between old and new, diagrammatic and figurative. The water in this new version is blue, for instance, and the parks are green, just like the Hertz map, instead of the murky beiges and grays Vignellis respectively had, which bewildered New Yorkers at the time. I support the decision! Criticism of Vignellis subway map largely stemmed from its abstract representation of geography and topography, which created confusion for users, said Taylor Loutsis, founder of Studio Loutsis, the Brooklyn office which designs AN Interior. At the time, this was understandableboth locals and tourists relied heavily on the map to orient themselves within the city. However, in the 21st century, most subway riders carry smartphones with GPS and step-by-step directions, making the need for geographically accurate maps less essential.Today, maps are used differently: theyre less about providing spatial context and more about supplementing the directions already provided by our devices, Loutsis told AN. The issue is no longer about whether the average person can interpret abstract geography, but how maps function alongside the mobile tools everyone now uses to navigate urban environments.The famous Massimo Vignelli subway map lasted between 1972 and 1979. (Courtesy MTA)The subsequent 1979 and 1998 maps were designed by Michael Hertz Associates. (Courtesy MTA)The new subway map has already been employed at select stations since 2021, while testing on station digital screens started in 2024. All physical maps will be swapped out of R211 rolling stock and MTA stations over the next few weeks. This will be accompanied by the increased frequency of real-time data, where platform trackers will be updated every five seconds to better reflect train arrival times. These improvements are based on customer feedback, surveys, and analysis of all 472 New York City subway stations, MTA continued.The swap comes around the same time the MTA phases out MetroCards, those yellow rubbery things you have to swipe just right in order to board your train on time. The MTA is now transitioning to the OMNY contactless fare payment system, a maneuver praised by many thats been criticized by transit advocates, who question how those without smartphones will be able to ride. The MTA is also expected to raise fares from $2.90 per ride to $3 by August 2025, sparking further protests.While the city that never sleeps tosses and turns over rising prices, and we count the days until the next mayoral election, one thing is for certain. To quote AN contributor Antonio Pacheco: 53 years later Massimo Vignelli is victorious, and vindicated.