Google Maps has changed a lot since its quick rise to ubiquity. An intrepid blogger digs into the nitty gritty of how the mapping platform has changed, and the consequences of Google's cartography for how the public perceives the world.

Justin O'Beirne examines the effects of several years of changes to the cartography of Google Maps—perhaps the most popular of the online mapping programs.
Browsing Google Maps over the past year or so, I've often thought that there are fewer labels than there used to be. Google's cartography was revamped three years ago – but surely this didn't include a reduction in labels? Rather, the sparser maps appear to be a recent development.
After digging into side-by-side comparisons of screengrabs taken from Google Maps in 2010 and 2016, O'Beirne notices obvious, and consequential, changes. For instance, Google Maps now has fewer city labels but more roads. In effect, explains O'Beirne, Google Maps has become a network map. "The cities are the nodes. And the roads are the paths between the nodes." [Emphasis in the original.]
O'Beirne concludes that both the 2010 and the 2016 versions of Google Maps suffer from a lack of balance between cities and roads. He does, however, offer an example of a map that achieves this balance more effectively, and even imagines what a Google map of Chicago would look like if it were balanced correctly.
FULL STORY: WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOGLE MAPS?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie