Metro and subway maps can tell us a lot about cities. For example, by comparing metro maps from different cities, you might be able to understand those cities' relative size or level of development. Or, by comparing a metro map to an earlier version from the same city, you can learn about the pace of development being experienced in that city. What these "maps" rarely tell you with any reliability, though, is the actual geography of the city itself.

In a fascinating series of posts over at /r/dataisbeautiful earlier this year, Reddit users created GIFs comparing the official metro maps of cities around the world with the real geography those maps correspond to. The results show the incredible changes that cities are subjected to in the name of visual clarity: in cities such as London, Tokyo, and Berlin, transit maps expand the urban core, masking the density at these regions' centers; in other cities such as Washington DC, shortened lines hide the extent of the city's suburbs; while in some cities, entire neighborhoods are moved to the other side of the city to make the map layout more attractive (we're looking at you, Prague). Read on to see 11 of the best creations by Reddit users.

The 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial is drawing to a close next week after almost 4 months of exhibitions, discussions, tours, film screenings, and other events. The second edition of the event, which opened on September 16th and is based upon the theme of "Make New History," will round out with two final events before the exhibition finally closes on Sunday, January 7th. Read on for more about the remaining events.

Is your knowledge of the world's most notable architects the best of the best? Can it stand the test of cryptic emoji-based clues? In lieu of their usual daily building identification quiz, online architecture quiz What Building? has created a fun knowledge test, converting the names of 20 famous architects into strings of emoji. Covering architects both past and present, the quiz is a great test of both architecture knowledge and lateral thinking. How many can you get?

In the foyer of their London offices, architecture firm Allies and Morrison is displaying "Archiflakes," a series of snowflake designs inspired by the floorplans of famous structures from around the world. Developed by staff member Maria Spada, the series was a response to an internal competition to design the office's seasonal decorations.

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As all architects know, there are few things in life more valuable than a good sketchbook. That's why the Architools Notebook, a sketchbook now raising funds on Kickstarter, was designed from the ground up to suit an architect's workflow and sense of style. From the design of the covers (which incorporates the golden ratio) to the type of binding (which allows the open book to lay flat for double-page sketching or scanning), the Architools Notebook has considered all the little things that can help make a sketchbook the perfect companion.

Foster + Partners has won the competition to design a new extension to Marseille Airport that will allow the building to process up to 12 million passengers a year. The 2-phase design will add a new central pavilion to the existing building—which comprises the original 1960s structure designed by Fernand Pouillon, and a 1992 extension by Richard Rogers—and a new pier to provide access to the planes.

This week, Zaha Hadid Design released a new platform wedge shoe and accompanying clutch bag with British shoe and accessory brand Charlotte Olympia. The limited edition pieces, which sport the familiar flowing forms perfected by Hadid in her architecture, are both constructed using a combination of transparent perspex and rose gold accents.

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The drive to introduce autonomous vehicles to the roads took a blow yesterday, when a self-driving shuttle bus in Las Vegas was involved in a minor collision with a truck—just 2 hours into the vehicle's first day of operations. The bus, a 12-seat Navya Arma, was on the first day a 12-month trial covering a 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) loop in Las Vegas' Fremont East “Innovation District” when it was grazed by a reversing truck.

In a blog post by the city of Las Vegas, the blame was placed on the driver of the truck, who was cited by city officials for illegal backing. However, according to The Guardian, passengers at the time said the crash could have been avoided if the shuttle had simply backed out of the truck's way.

As architects, we've all been there: the payment for your most recent completed building comes through, and as you look around, you realize you have nothing left to spend the money on. Your subscriptions for all of your extortionately priced software are paid; you've bought all the latest trendy gadgets; your costly sartorial tastes are satisfied; and of course, you're living in a cool, spacious house of your own design. What does the architect who has everything do with their money? There's only so many bottles of wine you can send to the high school guidance counselor who introduced you to your lucrative career.

But fear not! As part of their new "Everyday Objects" range, Tiffany & Co has released a set of basic drawing tools that, purchased together, will relieve you of $1,275 in unwanted cash.

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Zumtobel Group has announced the 2017 winners of its Zumtobel Group Awards for architecture, which rewards the year's innovations which best promote "sustainability and humanity in the built environment." Leading the awards is Los Angeles-based firm Michael Maltzan Architecture whose Star Apartments project, which provides 102 homes for previously homeless individuals in LA, was awarded the prize in Zumtobel Group's Buildings category. Also winning prizes were UNStudio, Atelier TeamMinus, and Arturo Vittori. Read on for more details and the full list of winners and honorable mentions.

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Earlier today, the UK Prime Minister Theresa May made her closing speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. In a speech which focused on the fallout of Brexit and the economy, May devoted considerable attention to the issue of the UK housing market, announcing a plan to add £2 billion to the government's existing £7 billion affordable housing fund—a fund which local governments, private housebuilders, and housing associations can apply to for grants to subsidize construction of affordable housing.

However, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has strongly criticized the government's proposal, arguing that £2 billion will not be nearly enough to address the scale of the problem—by most estimates, the country is falling short of housing demand by hundreds of thousands of units annually, and house prices are increasingly out of reach for the young and the poor. In response, the RIBA argues for a much greater investment in social housing, highlighting its recent decision to award its Gold Medal to 20th Century social housing architect Neave Brown and stating that "we need a concerted program of public investment in new social housing across the country and that means spending a lot more than was announced today." Read on for RIBA President Ben Derbyshire's full statement:

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The 4-minute film "Community by Design: Skid Row Housing Trust," directed by Myles Kramer, has been selected by as the winner of the AIA's annual I Look Up Film Challenge. Winning out against 81 other entries, the film investigates the impact and approach of the Skid Row Housing Trust, which creates homes for homeless people in Los Angeles, with the help of renowned architects such as Michael Maltzan Architecture and Brooks + Scarpa Architects.

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With the launch today of Apple's iOS 11—and with it, the release of the company's powerful system for augmented reality apps, ARKit—Morpholio has released a new update to their popular Trace app that allows users to sketch over photographs with perfect accuracy. While it has always been an option to sketch over photographs in Trace, the new "Perspective Finder" tool superimposes a scaled grid over the photograph that helps designers follow the perspective of the image and measure their drawings accurately.

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Vincent Callebaut Architectures has released a design proposal for a new eco-tourism resort in The Philippines inspired by natural coastline forms. Making extensive use of cradle-to-cradle and other sustainable design principles, the resort features a series of spiraling apartment buildings and shell-shaped hotel buildings, themselves positioned on two Fibonacci spirals of land in a coastal lagoon. At the center of the ensemble, a mountain-like complex combines a school, recreational swimming pools, sports halls, the resort's kitchens, and a suite of laboratories for environmental scientists.

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