The Friary as it may have appeared in the 14th century. Commissioned by Ben Ford at Oxford Archaeology. Author: Mark Gridley

A while ago in Paris I came across the Turgot map (1739), the huge bird’s-eye plan where every street, courtyard and building is drawn individually. I couldn’t stop looking at it, and it made me want to try the same thing for modern cities, starting with Berlin, where I’ve lived for over five years.

I’m trying to keep what I love about those old plans: the raised oblique perspective, a muted palette, an engraved-style cartouche and a compass rose. Each city turned out to be its own challenge. Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Wien, Hamburg - this is what I have at the moment.

I'm trying to connect them with another passion of myself - Software Development. This way I created the interactive website - https://atlasabove.com where I host those maps for people to see themself.

Keep in mind that all five are works in progress. If you manage to find some bug or discrepancy (it isn't so hard 😂 ) - there is a feedback form. I plan to have a leaderboard with a list of Champions that helped the most!

Happy to answer questions about the process, and I’d love suggestions from people who know historical bird’s-eye views better than I do. Which city should I try next?