Expertise:
Urban Planning, Urban Design, Housing Policy, Vehicular Homelessness, Public Space, Spatial Justice, Subcultures in Urban Space, Hostile Architecture, DIY Urbanism, Inclusive Cities, Skateboarding and Public Space, Equity in InfrastructureChris Giamarino is an urban planning expert and a contributing journalist for The New York Times whose work investigates the intersections of public space, housing insecurity and spatial justice. His research and teaching explore how design, policy and culture influence who is included or excluded in urban environments — with a special focus on unhoused and youth communities and the subcultural users of public space.
A lifelong skateboarder, Giamarino blends lived experience with sharp analysis to examine how marginalized communities reshape city life, tackling issues like hostile architecture, DIY urbanism and vehicular homelessness through scholarship and narrative journalism. He is a founding member of SSHRED, a research collective that bridges skateboarding and urban design to rethink cities, community and the environment.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- Haynes Lindley Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, $26,000, 2022-23
- California Policy Lab Graduate Research Fellowship, $10,000, 2021-23
- UCLA Graduate Research Mentorship Fellowship, $20,000, 2020-21
- Institute on Inequality and Democracy Research Fellowship, $7,500, 2020
- Luskin Graduate Fellowship, $20,000 per year, 2019-23
Selected Publications:
- “City of courts: Excavating the future in West Los Angeles,” Leisure Studies, 2025
- With I. Willing, “Planning for subcultures in public spaces,” in Inclusive Public Spaces and the Sustainable Development Goals, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025
- With A. Loukaitou-Sideris, “The Echoes of Echo Park,” Urban Affairs Review, 2024
- With A. Rigolon and J. Christensen, “Development Fees and Park Equity in Los Angeles,” Journal of the American Planning Association, 2024
- With E. Blumenberg and M. Brozen, “Who Lives in Vehicles and Why?” Housing Policy Debate, 2024
- With C. Nelischer and A. Ramirez, “Urban humanities as a framework for the study of public space during the pandemic,” Journal of Urban Design, 2023
- With P. O’Connor and I. Willing, “The impacts of hostile designs on skateboarding,” Cities & Health, 2023
- With M. Brozen and E. Blumenberg, “Planning for and against vehicular homelessness,” Journal of the American Planning Association, 2023
- With K. Goh, A. Loukaitou-Sideris, and V. Mukhija, “Just Urban Design Scholarship?” in Just Urban Design, MIT Press, 2022
- With C. Chiu, “Creativity, Conviviality, and Civil Society in Neoliberalizing Public Space,” Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 2019
Interviews:
- “San Diego’s invisible homeless: They’ve got a job and a car but no bed.” San Diego Union-Tribune, June 29, 2025
- “Decades-Long Battle Over Sidewalk Advertising Leaves L.A. Bus Riders Waiting for Shade,” PBS SoCal, Aug. 3, 2022
News Reporting & Op-Eds
- “A Car is Not a Home,” The New York Times, 21, 2024
Education:
Bachelor of Science., Sustainable Urban Environments, New York University
Master of Science, Urban Planning, Columbia University
Ph.D., Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
Languages:
English, Spanish (conversational), Italian (beginner)