In 1931, Harry Beck designed the London “Tube Map” in what would become a highly influential, topology-forward perspective. By largely ignoring the scale of geography above, Beck built an elegant, conceivable map of the London Underground. And it’s worked pretty well for London. Since the 1930s, Beck’s map has been expanded but never really altered.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669080/what-if-londons-geography-were-as-distorted-as-its-tube-map
