Form Follows Feeling: My Catholic Aesthetic
09.15.2026
How this planner’s religious upbringing shaped the way he experiences and plans cities.
How this planner’s religious upbringing shaped the way he experiences and plans cities.
Post Archive
Posts by James Rojas
Latino Urbanism Is Better Appreciated by Landscape Architects Than by Planners
08.18.2026
They understand that cities are not collections of zoning regulations, but living landscapes.
They understand that cities are not collections of zoning regulations, but living landscapes.
Julianne’s Garden: Reimagining the Space Between Public and Private
06.30.2026
A lush setting that reflects a lifetime of memories, relationships, cultural traditions, and journeys.
A lush setting that reflects a lifetime of memories, relationships, cultural traditions, and journeys.
Learning to Reject the Transactional City
03.25.2026
As a Mexican American interested in the relational nature of cities, the author was fortunate to attend MIT when vestiges of radical planning still lingered.
As a Mexican American interested in the relational nature of cities, the author was fortunate to attend MIT when vestiges of radical planning still lingered.
The Coming Redesign of Ruben Salazar Park
01.13.2026
Los Angeles should use this opportunity to capture the many Chicano memories and stories of August 29, 1970.
Los Angeles should use this opportunity to capture the many Chicano memories and stories of August 29, 1970.
A Requiem for MIT’s Room 10-485
11.03.2025
Memories of a space whose unique qualities helped nurture a burgeoning planner from East Los Angeles.
Memories of a space whose unique qualities helped nurture a burgeoning planner from East Los Angeles.
The Lost Soul of Oakland: Living Large in Lower Rockridge
09.24.2025
Real estate speculation is eroding the beauty of a great urban neighborhood.
Real estate speculation is eroding the beauty of a great urban neighborhood.
Kansas City: Wandering the Middle Ground
09.08.2025
An L.A-born urban planner finds traces of home in the Midwest.
An L.A-born urban planner finds traces of home in the Midwest.
The Potential Beauty and Wonder of Storefront Displays
06.11.2025
Retail windows can do so much more than market goods and services.
Retail windows can do so much more than market goods and services.
L.A.’s Cultural Crescent and the Land That Draws People to It
01.22.2025
The City of Angels is that rare metropolis where landscape shapes ways of being.
The City of Angels is that rare metropolis where landscape shapes ways of being.
The Clever Trick for Living in 350 Square Feet
08.06.2024
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
The Missing Flower Power in Walkability and Neighborhood Vitality
05.28.2024
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
What Los Angeles Transit Could Learn From Charlotte
06.12.2023
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
On accidentally discovering the Queen City’s wonderful light rail system.
How Do You Teach Kids About Urban Planning? Let Them Play.
01.12.2021
For K–5 students, understanding how cities are put together starts by making urban space a personal experience.
For K–5 students, understanding how cities are put together starts by making urban space a personal experience.
The Chicano Moratorium and the Making of Latino Urbanism
11.16.2020
How a seminal event in Los Angeles shaped the thinking of an urban designer.
How a seminal event in Los Angeles shaped the thinking of an urban designer.
Designers and Planners Take Note: People’s Fondest Memories Rarely Involve Technology
08.11.2020
A crucial lesson with great implications for planning and engagement.
A crucial lesson with great implications for planning and engagement.
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