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.
New 'Design Excellence Overlay' Aims to Inspire New Development in Missoula
The city of Missoula professes a strategy of "focusing inward" when it comes to growth and development. A new 'Design Excellence Overlay' will help achieve more goals toward that strategy in the city's downtown.
Boston-Area Mayors Announce Ambitious Housing Target
Mayors from 15 cities in the Boston region want to add 185,000 new units by 2030 in response to the housing shortage driving up prices in the region.
Granny Flats Legalized Citywide in St. Paul
The Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) movement has take hold in the Twin Cities. Now ADUs are allowed all over the city of St. Paul.
Massive Private Gift to Fund Parks and Trails in Detroit, Buffalo
The gift is especially notable for its contributions toward efforts to redevelop Detroit's West Riverfront.
The View from Hudson Street—With Thoughts on Science and Orthodoxy
Anecdotal evidence isn't enough to make claims about the connection between density and crime, but the planning orthodoxy does so anyway.