James Rojas

The Important Role of Front Porches in Latino Communities

James Rojas explains the importance of front porches in Latino-American communities.

September 11, 2014 - Project for Public Spaces blog

Once Common, Do Jitneys Have a Future in L.A.'s Transportation Mix?

In the latest entry in its fascinating series on the "Laws That Shaped L.A.", KCET's Jeremy Rosenberg looks at the city's brief, but golden, age of the Jitneys, and whether they deserve a return to L.A.'s growing mix of transit modes.

July 29, 2012 - KCET Departures

Toy or Tool: Urban Planning as Community Board Game

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Bob Pool profiles a project by Urban Planner James Rojas, who's constructed an 80-square-foot scale model of Long Beach that residents and business owners can tinker with to illustrate their own vision of the city.

January 11, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Building Communities With Legos and Plastic Bottles

GOOD Magazine follows planner James Rojas as he engages a community in the act of planning in his own particular fashion, using everyday objects and building blocks.

August 17, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Urban Planner Creates Bicycle-Pedestrian Fantasy Model for Santa Monica

The Latino Urban Forum's James Rojas has made a name for himself by designing interactive planning models for some of the LA area's most famous neighborhoods. Recently, he took a crack at creating a more sustainable Santa Monica.

February 11, 2009 - Los Angeles Streetsblog

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.