mapping in mapping out

I recently started a new project using maps, specifically of tourist destinations. I started first in Phoenix—figuring it best for me to start with home before I branch out to other tourist-destination cities. Part of the point was that tourist maps are extremely selective about what they highlight. Businesses who paid for ad space seem to get the largest marker on the map and anything not deemed important by the company making the map blur out into a grey or tan—a sort of nondescript space. I expected that and even counted on it for the substance of my project (that I'm not going to get into more).

What also interested me was that on one map specifically, certain transportation options were featured. First of all, the number of "P"s is overwhelming. I know Phoenix is a car-oriented city but looking at this map, it seems there are more parking garages than anything else. Secondly, the only highlighted transportation was the Light Rail and the 2 Downtown free shuttles. There are actually 8 other buses (the 0, 1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 15 and 19) that go through downtown and sometimes more conveniently service areas people might want to get to.

Now I know it isn't a transportation map and that you can go to the Valley Metro website to find out that information but what interests me is that they decided to put any transportation info at all on this map and, when they did, they decided which forms were appropriate for their audience. I'm still interested, but not totally surprised, by how silently it is impressed upon us that taking public transit for one reason (entertainment or tourism) is OK but for another (necessity or choice) is not. This map eliminates the idea that there is anything else available to them, the newcomer and visitor to downtown. If they arrive by light rail from the suburbs, they are made to believe that the only transportation that is viable for them are the ones indicated on this map. Others seen whizzing by on the road in front of them suddenly become part of their peripheral vision. I think, even if there is a glimmer that it seems like an option, that glimmer is soon over-ridden by the thought that "oh, that's not for me".

I keep wondering when the shift will occur and when, if ever, these boundaries will break down.

The map shown here is from the Copper Square website.