Because every place worth going can be found on a topo map.
I’ve rarely objected to having my travel times written in on my maps, but this presents an exciting alternative. I could only imagine this as a useful tool for someone who is traveling entirely by plane or train and thus didn’t have to worry about getting utterly lost.
My favorite thing about this map is how well it illustrates how rural areas in one country are becoming, at least in a certain sense, further away from the cities they support than major cities in other countries. I’ve heard arguments that it makes more sense to view the modern world primarily in terms of urban/rural divides rather than a national ones. This chart doesn’t even account for the difficulty or comfort of travel, which makes such rural areas appear even further. I think there is a compelling argument to be made.
