Christopher Hawthorne (journalist)

Christopher Hawthorne is an American journalist and architecture critic. He is currently the Chief Design Officer for the City of Los Angeles, a position he has held since 2018.

Before joining the City of Los Angeles, Hawthorne was the architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times from 2004 to 2018. His work at the Times was known for its sharp analysis, accessibility to a broad audience, and focus on the social and political dimensions of the built environment. He frequently wrote about urban planning, housing, transportation, and public space in addition to individual buildings and architectural projects.

Hawthorne is a graduate of Yale University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Pomona College. His writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harvard Design Magazine, and Architectural Record.