Instagram story viewer> @jamestrojas> Posts

James Rojas

@jamestrojas

2.2K

followers

1821

following

Latino urbanism, Community engagement

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

by @jamestrojas

9

0

8 hours ago

Through our hands, senses, memories, and imaginations, we can begin to envision a Los Angeles where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
When: Saturday, October 24 from 11am-12:30pm
Where: Mi Centro 553 S. Clarence Street, Los Angeles 90033
RSVP at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discolandia-dreamplaybuild-tickets-2002597438848 by @jamestrojas

41

3

a day ago

From our exhibit at @temple_contemp, a 12-foot-long interactive model of the North Broad Corridor in Philadelphia, as part of the #dreamdifferent exhibition. If you are in Philly, or planning on going, it will be up through December. Thanks to @drmatt.kenyatta for inviting us. #dreamplaybuild taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @jamestrojas

82

11

6 days ago

Community engagement is about meeting people where they are, physically, socially, and visually. I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Smithsonian at La Doña Cervecería in Minneapolis, where I created two interactive models representing Latino communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
What I loved most was watching the models become a multigenerational gathering place. Children as young as two were immediately drawn to them, a little urban planning babysitting, alongside parents, grandparents, and seniors. People touched the models, moved pieces around, shared stories, recognized familiar places, and imagined new possibilities. And that is what community engagement should do.
Rather than asking people to enter a formal planning space and communicate through maps, plans, or professional language, we can create experiences that meet them through play, memory, conversation, and making. by @jamestrojas

34

5

16 days ago

Meet me in Minneapolis this weekend! by @jamestrojas

4

1

23 days ago

by @jamestrojas

42

0

a month ago

I’m on my way to the ASLA conference by @jamestrojas

11

0

a month ago

Walking over the Hudson by @jamestrojas

11

0

a month ago

Dream Play Build in the Hudson River Valley by @jamestrojas

11

0

a month ago

The city of light in Philadelphia taken in Temple Contemporary by @jamestrojas

29

0

a month ago

Philadelphia city hall by @jamestrojas

16

1

2 months ago

Light as a Urban Planning Community Engagement Tool
Growing up in Southern California, I took light for granted. No matter what kind of models or buildings I made, they were always awash in sunlight. Light was simply there—abundant, dependable, and almost invisible because I never had to think about it.
Moving to Oakland changed that. With the fog, overcast skies, and shifting Bay Area weather, I began to understand how precious light can be. I started noticing where it entered a room, how it moved across a surface, how it illuminated an object, and how shadows could transform the way something looked.
I learned to play with light.
Light became another material in my work, just like wood, acrylic, paint, or found objects. Instead of simply illuminating a model, light could create atmosphere, depth, movement, and emotion. It could make an ordinary object glow, turn a street grid into a landscape, or make a miniature city feel alive.
In Southern California, light was something I lived in. In Oakland, light became something I learned to see.
That discovery made me think about light in another way: as a community engagement tool. Urban planners traditionally rely on maps, data, diagrams, and words to help people understand cities. But light can communicate something those tools often cannot. It creates a sensory and emotional experience. It can draw attention to a street, building, memory, or gathering place and encourage people to see familiar surroundings differently.
This idea is at the heart of North Philly Aglow, the interactive installation we created for Dream Different: A Wonder Rebellion. Light rises through a 12-foot street grid and moves in and around dozens of buildings, transforming the model into a glowing cityscape.
But the light represents more than illumination. North Philly Aglow celebrates the energy, creativity, memory, and everyday life of North Philadelphia—and the people who bring the city to life. As participants interact with the model, rearranging buildings and elements, the illuminated city becomes a canvas for exploring how they experience North Philadelphia and how they imagine its future. by @jamestrojas

25

2

2 months ago