Mr. James Rojas is one of the few nationally recognized urban planners to examine U.S. Latino cultural influences on urban design and sustainability. He has written and lectured extensively on how culture and immigration are transforming the American front yard and landscape. Mr. Rojas has also developed an interactive workshop model that uses participants’ childhood memories as a catalyst for building their own miniature communities out of found objects.  During his time in Grand Rapids, he led workshops with both adults and children, and led a bus tour of urban Latino neighborhoods, as well as delivering his keynote lecture at the annual luncheon.