ABSTRACT
As messages or arguments, maps are predominantly evaluated by their efficiency to communicate without considering aspects of time. How long does it take to make a map? How long does someone look at a map? How can we slow down to enjoy making and reading maps in times of information anxiety? Alluding to other popular movements in society such as slow food, this chapter makes a plea for slow cartographies that are based on the unhurried appreciation and production of maps on paper and in digital format and that recognise the essentially humanistic value of visual narratives. I propose a framework for a slow map movement in analogy with other cultural initiatives, inspired by ideas of geographers, philosophers and writers and argue that a slow(er) approach to cartography can contribute to a better understanding of maps as powerful visual forms of communication through time and space.
