Garlynn is a fifth-generation Oregonian, urban planner, and DJ dedicated to building equitable, walkable communities powered by cooperation, culture, and climate action. With nearly three decades of experience in regional planning, housing policy, urban analytics, and development, he leads PLACE Initiative, a national nonprofit advancing people-centered, climate-resilient urbanism.

He also runs the planning consultancy Woodsong Associates; chairs OR Co-Op, the Oregon Cooperative Housing Network (OCHN); and is the Owner and Managing Broker of FORMA Realty. His work includes co-developing UrbanFootprint at Calthorpe Associates; serving as the first Regional GIS Planner at the San Francisco Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC); and pioneering Portland’s adaptive re-use conversion of single-family homes into fourplexes under modern code.

The elected president of the Cascadia chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Garlynn also serves on the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign steering committee. As DJ Grynn, he creates community-centered dance and art experiences that spark joy, connection, and belonging.