Equity and Inclusion

THUR-FS-04: Exploring Sensory-based Latino Landscapes

Thursday, September 17, 2026

12:45 PM - 4:15 PM PT

Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Field Session Departure Area (South Lobby)

1.50 PDH, LA CES/non-HSW
Ticket Price: $50 per person

Field Session Leader(s)

James T. Rojas, na

Urban planner, artist, community engagement specialist
Place It!
Alhambra, California
Christopher Torres, ASLA (he/him/his)

Founding Principal
Agency Artifact
Alhambra, CA

Field Session Presenter(s)

Cuauhtemoc I. Hernandez, na

Landscape Designer
Cuauhtemoc Hernandez
Saira G. Soto, Student ASLA

Student, Co-founder of NAMLA Student Chapter at UCLA
UCLAx Landscape Architecture Program
Los Angeles, CA

Explore the gentle pulse of Latino landscapes through intimate details, gaining an understanding of how space is created and experienced. Through these embodied encounters, recognize the value of these environments. This awareness, in turn, supports improvements rooted in lived experience, cultural memory, and community aspirations.

Includes metro pass. Extensive walking.

Accessibility: This session is a long walking tour across downtown Los Angeles. Participants will be walking for an extended period on city streets, and individuals with mobility challenges may find portions of the route difficult to traverse.

Learning Outcomes:

Identify Latino cultural, social, and economic patterns and understand how they shape land use, architecture, mobility, and landscape.
Learn a relationship-based approach to planning and resiliency that centers people, culture, and place.
Gain an understanding of Chicano and Latino history in Los Angeles as expressed through landscape and the built environment.
Generate ideas for sustaining historic cultural traditions while strengthening community pride and neighborhood resilience.