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.
One in Two Arrests in Portland Are of Homeless People
Three in 100 people in Portland are homeless.
Friday Funny: Illinois Highway Signs Get Cheeky
Can a little levity save us from reckless and distracted drivers?
Regulating the Deliberate Emptiness of New York's Skyscrapers
Mechanical voids or stilts—whatever you call the trick of architecture that has been pressing the residential skyline in New York ever higher, the city is ready to regulate.
Friday Fun: Bus Simulator 18 Keeps it Real
A new video game puts you behind the wheel of a busy city bus with places to go, people to serve, and headways to keep.
Don't Forget the 'Joy of Driving'
While endeavoring to make an honest account of the motivations for driving, it's important to remember that some people really like to drive.