City planner James Rojas, founder of the Latino Urban Forum, writes and lectures about how the American front yard and landscape are being transformed by changing tastes, changing values, and changing demographics. Before appearing on a Zócalo/Getty panel asking who designs tomorrow’s Los Angeles, we cornered Rojas in the green room to ask him about dinner, the Rolling Stones, and swimming.
What will you have for dinner tonight?
Probably noodles. Japanese noodles.
Who is your favorite non-living 20th-century architect?
Louis Sullivan. Or Daniel Burnham.
What’s the most fun city for an urban planner?
Budapest, because it combines architecture and landscape in a big way. The Danube is a half-mile wide in the middle of the city.
What is your favorite use of public space in Los Angeles?
Probably street vending.
Who’s your favorite Rolling Stone?
Mick Jagger.
What’s in your front yard, if you have a front yard?
A bunch of random plants and a big swing.
Why a swing?
I like sitting in it and looking at the street.
What is the least successfully planned city in America?
Probably Irvine.
How often do you swim in the Pacific Ocean?
I haven’t swum it in a couple of years.
What sights in L.A. do you like to show out-of-town visitors?
I take them to East L.A.