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France · 43.7102°, 7.2620°

Nice Map Poster: The Curve of the Baie des Anges

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Map poster of Nice (France): streets, water and parks drawn from OpenStreetMap

Why this city works as a poster

Nice is a seaside city in the most graphic sense: the Baie des Anges draws a long, regular curve underlined by the Promenade des Anglais, and the sea fills the whole bottom of the poster. That large void gives the map a rare balance. Above it the city climbs towards the hills, where the streets start to wind: the pattern goes from a lowland grid to hairpins.

Recommended framing

Landscape, 8 to 10 km across, from the airport in the west to the port in the east: the whole curve of the bay fits in the frame. For a more intimate keepsake, drop to 2 km on Vieux-Nice and Castle Hill.

Which theme to pick

Pick a theme where the sea has a colour of its own: over half the poster, a deep blue or a light sand changes everything. A theme that leaves water the colour of the background turns the bay into a plain paper edge.

Where to centre the map

Promenade des Anglais
The curve of the bay, underlined by the promenade for about 7 km.
Vieux-Nice
A triangle of tight lanes between Castle Hill and the Promenade du Paillon.
Port Lympia
East of the hill, the port basin adds a crisp, almost rectangular water shape.

How its streets are oriented

Street orientation in Nice: orientation order 0.03, organic pattern0° (N) – 180° (S): 7.7% of street length10° (N) – 190° (S): 7.7% of street length20° (NNE) – 200° (SSW): 5.5% of street length30° (NNE) – 210° (SSW): 4.4% of street length40° (NE) – 220° (SW): 3.6% of street length50° (NE) – 230° (SW): 4.2% of street length60° (ENE) – 240° (WSW): 5.5% of street length70° (ENE) – 250° (WSW): 5.6% of street length80° (E) – 260° (W): 4.7% of street length90° (E) – 270° (W): 5.7% of street length100° (E) – 280° (W): 6.6% of street length110° (ESE) – 290° (WNW): 5.1% of street length120° (ESE) – 300° (WNW): 3.8% of street length130° (SE) – 310° (NW): 4.2% of street length140° (SE) – 320° (NW): 4.6% of street length150° (SSE) – 330° (NNW): 6.2% of street length160° (SSE) – 340° (NNW): 7.6% of street length170° (S) – 350° (N): 7.2% of street length180° (S) – 0° (N): 7.7% of street length190° (S) – 10° (N): 7.7% of street length200° (SSW) – 20° (NNE): 5.5% of street length210° (SSW) – 30° (NNE): 4.4% of street length220° (SW) – 40° (NE): 3.6% of street length230° (SW) – 50° (NE): 4.2% of street length240° (WSW) – 60° (ENE): 5.5% of street length250° (WSW) – 70° (ENE): 5.6% of street length260° (W) – 80° (E): 4.7% of street length270° (W) – 90° (E): 5.7% of street length280° (W) – 100° (E): 6.6% of street length290° (WNW) – 110° (ESE): 5.1% of street length300° (WNW) – 120° (ESE): 3.8% of street length310° (NW) – 130° (SE): 4.2% of street length320° (NW) – 140° (SE): 4.6% of street length330° (NNW) – 150° (SSE): 6.2% of street length340° (NNW) – 160° (SSE): 7.6% of street length350° (N) – 170° (S): 7.2% of street lengthNESW

Within 3 km of the centre, we measured the orientation of 410 km of streets. Its orientation order is 0.03 out of 1: Nice ranks 57th of the 64 cities in the study and 20th of the 25 French cities.

The streets run in almost every direction: no axis dominates, the pattern is organic.

See the full study: street orientation in 64 cities

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