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.
Breaking: HUD Will Rewrite Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will rewrite the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule approved by the Obama administration in 2015. HUD Secretary Ben Carson says the rule is "suffocating" affordable housing development.
Mapping Tax Abatements to Mitigate Controversy
St. Louis politicians are embroiled in controversy over the city's use of tax abatements, which come at the expense of funding for the city's school district. A map is seen as part of the solution.
Ride-Hailing Companies Agree to Tax in San Francisco
Essentially, Uber and Lyft chose a tax on rides instead of a gross-receipts tax.
Housing Construction Slows to a Crawl in Seattle's Suburbs
Seattle's suburbs are no longer leading the region in housing construction, even as Seattle's urban core is building more housing than ever.
'Valley Link' Planned to Relieve Bay Area Super Commuters
Planners are working quickly to refine a proposal for a $1.8 billion project connecting the 680 corridor in the East Bay Area to bedroom communities in the Central Valley.