Portland based designer Archie Archambault is onto something really awesome. After discovering research that indicates that GPS is hindering our ability to create mental maps of our surroundings, he decided to take it upon himself to create a new style of wonderfully minimalist maps. He calls each of them a "Map from the Mind", using a method where he breaks down structures and districts into the simplest of terms for our brains to comprehend. He's done over 20 of them so far, mostly of US cities.
You can imagine how happy I was when I heard that he had decided to do a map of Vancouver, the first Canadian city to be featured in this series of his. He reached out asking for some feedback a couple months ago and I was glad to be one of 15 residents who helped refine his original idea and offer advice on things to add, or remove (don't blame me that Commercial Drive isn't on here!). Below is the final version that arrived in the mail today, and which you can order RIGHT HERE. It's 7.75" x 7.75" and costs $22.
