"A lot of these historic maps illuminate modern-day mobility issues," says Garrett Dash Nelson, the President and Head Curator of the Leventhal Map and Education Center. "We want people to think, this isn't just about the past, but about building a more inclusive transit system for the future."
From the ferries and stagecoaches of the 19th century to the trains, buses, and trolleys of today, Greater Bostonians have used public transit to make their way around the region. With routes planned out 150 years ago still in use, the city’s neighborhoods are living with the shape of its transit system, albeit slowly these days due to underinvestment spanning decades.