James Brasuell, AICP is the former editorial director of Planetizen and is now a senior public affairs specialist at the Southern California Association of Governments. James managed all editorial content and direction for Planetizen from 2014 to 2023, and was promoted from manging editor to editorial director in 2021. After a first career as a class five white water river guide in Trinity County in Northern California, James started his career in Los Angeles as a volunteer at a risk reduction center in Skid Row. Prior to joining Planetizen, James worked at the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, as an editor at Curbed LA, as editor of The Planning Report, and as a freelance contributor for The Architect’s Newspaper, the Urban Land Institute – Los Angeles Chapter, FORM, KCET, and the California Planning & Development Report.
Preservation of Gas Station Won't Stand in the Way of New Housing
Preservationists had mobilized behind the cause of protecting a dilapidated gas station in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
L.A. Decides to Keep Short-Term Rentals Out of Rent Controlled Apartments
A City Council decision on short-term rental regulations reverses the decision of the City Planning Commission.
Neighbors Demanded a Wall Around a Habitat for Humanity Development in Florida
Habitat for Humanity agreed to build a wall around 166 new affordable homes as a necessary compromise for approval.
Columbus Shares its Smart City Playbook
The city of Columbus, Ohio is sharing some of what it has learned about becoming a smart city.
Post-Amazon Chicago: Mayor Seeks $1.7 Billion in Subsidies for Downtown Developments
Making the case that proposed developments won't come to fruition with support from tax increment financing, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is moving quickly to shore up development plans now that Amazon has moved on.