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 Scrutiny for the Federal 'Opportunity Zones' Program
Opportunity Zones—a new federal program that flew under the radar of the GOP tax reform bill signed at the end of 2017—has been moving along and attracting new attention from media outlets.
Review: Philadelphia's Iconic Love Park Gets a Major Makeover
Architecture Critic Inga Saffron gives a less-than-stellar review of the newly revealed revamp of Philadelphia's Love Park.
Study Predicts the 'Amazon Effect' of HQ2 on Rents
Spoiler alert: the rent will go up in whatever city Amazon chooses for the site of its second headquarters.
800 New Homes Approved for Houston's Floodplain
The city of Houston approved a new development that doesn't meet new elevations standards approved by the city of Houston earlier this month.
HUD Proposal Would Triple Rent for Subsidized Households
The proposal by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson would also allow property owners to require employment from renters receiving housing subsidies.