Planner Rojas Exits Metro

"After 12 years at Metro I am finally moving on. For some of you this is a surprise but to others it's about time I left. Throughout Los Angeles County I have left my mark on the physical landscape while managing Metro's TEA (urban design) program. This humble program helps communities enhance the transportation experience. Not every city in LA County will get a rail or bus line; nevertheless residents deserve an enhanced transportation experience. As part of this program I have driven thousands of miles visiting sites throughout LA County. With very little funding, I have help improved the quality of the built environment. Although these projects are small interventions, when you walk, bike, Metro or drive by the Larchmont Village Medians, the City of San Fernando's Cesar Chavez Transit Plaza, West Hollywood's Santa Monica Boulevard, Eco's Village permeable sidewalk, Palmdale's Sierra Highway bikeway, and many other small interventions think about the difference these projects have made for the residents that use them. "I am leaving Metro with in-depth transportation and land use knowledge, but more importantly with an enlightened understanding of civic life in Los Angeles from my various campaigns and projects I have worked on outside of Metro. [break...] "Through these various activities I have worked with some of the city's leading grassroots organization and visionaries who are changing the region's transportation, open space, cultural planning, art, and much more. The past decade has been an exciting time to be in LA and watch it change! "On the pedestrian issues I was fortunate to work with Deborah Murphy and Gloria Ohland and others to raise the pedestrian issues. From kicking off LA Walks, supporting Safe Routs to School legislation, and the various walk audits I conducted all over Los Angeles County people are finally thinking about pedestrians. "10 years ago when we saw the end of the Red Line subway project, people like Darrel Clark, Roger Christiansen, Bart Reed, Dana Gabbard, Tony Loui, and many others help move projects light rail projects forward like the Expo Line and Eastside Gold Line extension. Working with Denny Zane a few years ago on the Subway to Sea project may actually happened. Today light rail enjoys much support in the region. "I helped found the Latino Urban Forum 11 years ago to support the growing Latino interest in urban planning and advocacy. As a community "brain trust" of professional planners, architects and community dedicated in improving the health and sustainability of low-income communities we worked on many great projects, organized bike tours, Nativity tours and even the LA to TJ tour. We helped create the Evergreen Cemetery Jogging Path, which has become national model for promoting physical activities in low-income communities. Worked with the Chinatown Alliance to create the Cornfields State Park on a 40-acre site initially slated to become warehouses, and supported the Baldwin Hills Park and a park at Taylor Yards. I worked with Kathy Perez to host the first Latino New Urbanism Conference. [break...]"I will continue my civic role in LA through the Latino Urban Forum and the various boards I support, as well as my creative energies through G727 art gallery. In addition I will help community groups and cities help visualize their future so they can develop successful policies and projects. My latest project is to create urban planning high school in East Los Angeles in fall that uses some of the innovative planning methods I have developed to engage, excite, and empower the students in understanding there built environment. "My last installation at Metro will be a visionary model of our Los Angeles County Transportation. [These installations continue with Rojas' Place It workshops -- visit the website and view the photo at the top of this post.-- Ed.] This interactive model will help the public visualize these projects and understand the new connections to the ocean, LAX, downtown and others areas via new transportation corridors. This model will be on display from Thursday, July 17, 2010 to July 25, 2010 in the Metro lobby plaza level. "My next major art installation will be for the California Design Biennial at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The exhibition opens July 18, 2010 through November 7, 2010."