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.
St. Paul Approves Master Plan for Thousands of New Jobs and Homes
A new neighborhood dubbed “The Heights” is planned for the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota.
No Connection Between Gardens and Gentrification in Detroit, Study Says
Research from late 2021 documented the footprint of urban gardens in Detroit, finding evidence of inequities but not gentrification.
Drought Renews Momentum for $4 Billion Reservoir Project in California
Bipartisan political support, billions in state and federal funding, and an unrelenting drought are creating momentum for the Sites Reservoir project in California's northern Central Valley.
$368 Million in Rail Investments Announced
The Federal Railroad Administration announced a round of grant funding for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tripled the amount of funding for the program.
Austin Considering Zoning Tools to Support Affordable Housing Development
An expansion of the city’s vertical mixed-use (VMU) affordable development program is the furthest along of a package of reforms intended to spur the construction of affordable housing.