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.

Rural States Refusing Federal Housing Aid
Rural states like Nebraska, Montana, and West Virginia have refused federal funding to aid vulnerable renters during the economic shocks of the pandemic, and that money is now headed to other parts of the country.

Climate Change Increasingly a Risk to the Country's Most Endangered Rivers
Conservation advocacy group American Rivers has ranked the Colorado River, ravaged by drought and mismanagement, as the most endangered river in the United States.

Updated: Proposed Parking Reforms Spark Controversy in Dallas
An ordinance under consideration by the Dallas City Council would change the parking requirements in the zoning code to allow for more density in exchange for affordable housing.

The Disparate Racial Impacts of Commute Times
Commute times vary significantly depending on race, according to a recent study. The consequences of the imbalance have very real social and economic effects for already marginalized racial groups.

'Corporate Landlords and Market Power': Study Surveys the Single-Family Rental Boom
New research documents the growing footprint of large institutional investors in the housing market during the pandemic, converting more and more of the nation's single-family detached housing units into rental properties.