Frequently asked questions

An Urban Nature Map is a large, beautifully printed map that puts a city’s natural landscape centre stage. Parks, woodlands, rivers, nature reserves, walking routes and overlooked green spaces become part of a connected picture, inviting you to explore somewhere new or look again at familiar places.

Most city maps start with roads, buildings and transport. Our maps change the emphasis, revealing nature, routes and stories that can otherwise be easy to miss. We design them to be genuinely useful and a pleasure to unfold, study, share and keep.

A generous sheet of paper lets you see a whole landscape at once, follow unexpected connections and share discoveries with the person beside you. There is something wonderfully tactile and absorbing about spreading out a map, free from the instructions and distractions of a screen. The enthusiasm for beautiful paper maps remains as strong as ever.

Most are double-sided, with an illustrated atlas on the reverse: local stories, wildlife, geography, remarkable trees, seasonal adventures and ideas for exploring. It adds depth to the main map and helps you understand the wider landscape.

Our urban nature mapping work has covered London, Bristol, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Amsterdam, Almere and Breda in the Netherlands. We also publish other maps, including walking networks and unusual cartographic perspectives. Explore our folded maps to see what is currently available in the shop.

Absolutely. They help you discover and plan walks, bike rides, green connections and days out. They are also invitations to roam rather than turn-by-turn navigation devices. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy, but routes, access rights and conditions change; check current information and local signs before setting off.

Each edition is created using the most up-to-date geographical data available at publication, including Ordnance Survey and OpenStreetMap sources, with our own research, hand-added details and occasional site surveys. Places continue to change after a map is printed, which is one reason we regularly update our publications.

Very much so. Our maps encourage local exploration and help young people develop map-reading and geographical skills. Many of our UK Urban Nature Maps use the Ordnance Survey British National Grid, useful for practising grid references and fieldwork. The maps and atlases can support topics studied in GCSE geography, including ecosystems, urban environments and sustainability.

Folded maps are made to travel: specialist thin map paper folds into a compact format. Flat maps arrive unfolded, ready for display or framing. Some flat editions are hand-numbered or limited, while others are open editions; the individual product page always gives the correct details. Explore flat maps.

Yes. Flat editions are especially good for framing without creases, and plenty of customers also frame folded copies. Check the dimensions on each product page before choosing a frame.

We print on paper chosen to cope with repeated folding and unfolding without creating unnecessary bulk. Some maps also have a soft-touch laminated card cover. The paper is not waterproof, so protect your map in wet weather.

We think so. A favourite city, a childhood home or the destination for a future adventure makes a personal and lasting present for walkers, cyclists, nature lovers, curious travellers and people who appreciate good design.

The full available range is here in our online shop, and selected maps can also be found in independent bookshops, galleries, museums and specialist retailers.

The relevant product page is the best place to look for local shops selling each map. We especially enjoy seeing our publications stocked in the cities they celebrate.

We send just a handful of emails each year, sharing new maps, stories behind the places we're mapping, and occasional discounts and special offers. Sign up to the Urban Good newsletter using the simple form near the bottom of our homepage.

We deliver throughout the United Kingdom.

We offer two flat-rate options per order: subsidised postage at £1.50, where we contribute more towards shipping, and standard postage at £2.75 if you would like to contribute a little more. Both use the same delivery service and times. Full shipping details.

Folded maps are normally dispatched within 1–2 working days, followed by an estimated 1–2 working days for delivery. Flat maps and large prints are individually packed and may take up to 5 working days to dispatch, with an estimated 1–2 working days for delivery after that. Times are estimates, so allow extra time for an occasion or gift.

Folded maps are dispatched by our fulfilment team in Frome with Royal Mail. Flat maps and large prints are carefully rolled and packed in protective tubes at our studio and usually travel with Evri.

Yes. Pre-ordering means you can enjoy a new map before it reaches the shops. We usually aim to get pre-ordered copies to customers around a week ahead of the retail launch. The product page shows the expected publication or dispatch date, and payment is taken when you order. If the date changes, we'll contact you with an update and the option to cancel for a full refund.

We regularly return to popular maps, refreshing the information and producing updated editions, often every few years. Some specialist or limited editions may not return, so availability varies.

Yes. Schools planning to buy several maps for teaching or fieldwork can email shop@urbangood.org. We can discuss your needs and offer an educational discount code where appropriate.

Please email shop@urbangood.org with your order number. We will investigate with the carrier and help put things right. Our shipping policy explains the process.

Yes, subject to our returns policy and your statutory rights. Please contact us before sending anything back, especially a large flat edition, so we can help with the best arrangements. Read the returns policy.

All our maps are researched, designed and drawn in-house by founder Charlie Peel. We sometimes work with collaborators who contribute specialist knowledge and research for the illustrated atlases. On Slow Ways projects, volunteers develop the underlying walking network through route proposals, surveys and peer review, which we translate into printed cartography.

Every project starts with deciding what deserves attention. We combine geographical data, local research, editorial judgement, cartography, illustration and typography to tell a coherent story about a place. The result should feel striking when first unfolded, richly detailed up close and practical when used outdoors.

Our Urban Nature Maps use specialist lithographic (offset) printing, giving us fine detail, precise colour registration and the freedom to use special Pantone inks, including fluorescent colours. Accurate alignment of these inks matters enormously when a map contains thousands of small symbols, fine lines and labels.

We choose paper for its feel, folding performance, print quality and balance of thinness with opacity, so the map stays compact without details on the reverse distracting from the front. Newer printing uses Amber Graphic, a smooth, uncoated paper from Arctic Paper that is made for offset printing. Its specifications offer high opacity for its weight, an important advantage for our densely printed, double-sided maps. Some editions also have a soft-touch laminated card cover.

Our Urban Nature Maps are printed in Britain by Dennis Maps, a specialist in large-format printing and map folding. For occasional specialist projects we use other UK printers chosen for technical expertise, quality and environmental credentials.

We aim to make publications that people will use, enjoy and keep for years. Dennis Maps holds ISO 14001 environmental-management certification and FSC Chain-of-Custody certification. Amber Graphic paper is available with FSC, PEFC and EU Ecolabel credentials, depending on the supplied specification. We choose materials and printing partners carefully; the particular certification applicable to an individual edition depends on its actual print specification.

Urban Good is an independent mapping, research, design and publishing practice founded by Charlie Peel in 2016. We make maps and publications that help people see places differently, with particular interests in urban nature, walking, public space and better cities. We also work with organisations in planning, architecture, urban regeneration and the wider built environment. More about Urban Good.

Our first London National Park City Map showed the power of a map to make familiar places feel new. By bringing rivers, parks, habitats, walking routes and hidden connections into focus, we hope to inspire people to get outdoors, try something new and understand the broader landscape. Knowing a place better is a first step towards valuing and caring for it.

Urban Good is a Community Interest Company (CIC), a social enterprise set up to serve a community purpose as well as sustain its work. Our mission is to improve life in cities. Revenue from successful publications helps cross-subsidise the research and development of new ones, so one map helps the next reach the printing press.

We want maps to be useful shared resources, not just things to buy. Projects can bring local people together through collaborative workshops, highlight nearby nature, support learning and give schools, libraries or community groups access to maps through funded distribution. Different projects work in different ways, but each aims to inspire more curiosity about and care for our surroundings.

Alongside publishing our own maps, we undertake research, writing, editing, typesetting and editorial graphic design, especially for organisations working in the built environment and urban regeneration. We specialise in turning complex ideas into clear, engaging and beautifully designed reports, publications and visual communications.

We would love to hear your idea. Whether you are an individual or represent a council, charity, community group, business or other organisation, tell us a little about your place, who you are and what you have in mind. Email shop@urbangood.org to start a conversation with Charlie.

A new Urban Nature Map typically takes around 6–9 months from commission to publication. Alongside mapping, writing and design, we aim to hold three collaborative workshops with local people and organisations to enrich the information and stories. New maps need some early funding to get off the ground. Models vary, but working with one or two lead partners is often the most efficient approach.

Absolutely. We are interested in cities, towns, regions and landscapes anywhere in the world, and in fresh ways of mapping walking, cycling, nature, culture, heritage and much more. If there is an interesting story to tell through a map, we would love to talk about it.

All wholesale orders are handled through our UK trade distributor, Turnaround Publisher Services. We love working with independent bookshops, museum shops, galleries and retailers that share an enthusiasm for maps and places.

Yes. We have a strong track record in research, writing, editing, typesetting, cartography and editorial design for the built environment and urban regeneration sectors. We would be pleased to discuss reports, publications, visual communications or an entirely new mapping project.

Buying and sharing our maps helps, of course. So does introducing potential partners, sharing local knowledge or helping bring a new publication to life. If there is something you would like to explore together, email shop@urbangood.org. Charlie will reply as soon as he can.