James Piacentini

CARTOGRAPHER || DESIGNER || EDUCATOR
CV || LINKEDIN || CONTACT

MY WORK EXPLORES THE INTERSECTION OF:
URBAN SPACES || SOCIAL STRUCTURES || ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

SELECTED WORK

TYPE

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CLIMATE_MIGRATION_MAP

WEB_MAP

2020

DESTRUCTIVE_INTERVENTIONS

RESEARCH

2018

ROME_ETERNAL_EVOLVING

RESEARCH

2017

Currently: Senior Map Designer at Mapbox; Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University; Founding Fellow at NYU Building Better Cities Collaborative

Previously: NYC Department of City Planning; Apple; Lincoln Center; architectural design in Rome, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City

I hold a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University, 2020, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, 2014.

9 MAPBOX_STANDARD

TYPE: CONSUMER_APP

2024-

9.1 - Mapbox Standard is a flagship, highly-customizable 3D/2D basemap

9.2 - Mapbox Standard includes dynamic lighting and color themes

9.3 - Over 200 airports around the world recently launched in the basemap

9.4 - Dynamic layer matching and indoor floor toggling via an in-map UI works by default

9.5 - Over 6,500 custom landmark icons, styled for light and dark map modes are available in cities around the world

9.6 - Landmark icons dynamically appear at mid-high zooms providing additional context on the map

9.7 - Robust layer configurations continue to expand customization for Mapbox users

As a Senior Map Designer and Cartographer at Mapbox, I design and implement style and performance improvements to the Mapbox Standard basemap. This includes UI/UX improvements for Mapbox Studio and related products and directing research and analysis for Maps products improvements and priorities. Some initiatives I have led or worked on include the recently launched Indoor Maps for airports, Landmark Icons, and the expansion of customization and configurations in Mapbox Standard. I also work directly with local and flagship customers including Tripadvisor, Stubhub, Citizen, TWC, Uber, and digital content creators like Segregation_by_Design and Daniel Steiner.