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.
How Planning Fails to Solve Congestion
Solutions for congestion are never as simple and easy as armchair planners and engineers would like you to believe—especially those who suggest that congestion can be solved by forever building more roadway capacity.
Housing Construction More and More Frequently the Product of Two Companies
The history of U.S. housing construction has traditionally been the story of many companies building a few homes a year. Now two companies alone are out-building the rest of the top ten homebuilders combined.
Study: Affordable Housing Development Raises Nearby Property Values
More evidence that a common talking point of affordable housing opposition is more fear than fact.
Skyscraper Watch: Where the Tallest Buildings Are Under Construction
Of the 25 tallest buildings currently under construction around the world, only one is foun in the United States. The vast majority are in China.
Where Pro-Development Groups Are Gaining Traction
The YIMBY movement seems to be gaining steam as more the country deals with growing housing prices and increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Recent research reveals where pro-development forces are most likely to call home.