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.
The World's First LEED Platinum City: Washington, D.C.
In 2011, Washington, D.C. adopted the Sustainable D.C. plan, establishing the capital as a leader in green building and sustainability planning. In 2017, the city is the first in the world to achieve a new mark of distinction for its accomplishments.
The Unequal Distribution of Public Housing Across Los Angeles
KPCC has published an interactive map showing the publicly funded affordable housing developments in Los Angeles County.
Condo Development Controversy Goes Viral in Toronto
The controversy over a proposed eight-story condo development in Toronto embroiled author Margaret Atwood this week.
Gov. Cuomo Promised a Plan to Fix the New York Subway; Critics Say it's MIA
Earlier this summer, the governor of New York promised an ambitious plan to fix the MTA subway system. Now, at the end of the promised timeline for that plan, critics are saying that the city is left with more of the same.
Mapping the Differences Between Multi-Family and Single-Family Housing Costs
The city of Seattle provides the geography and market for a housing map that illustrates the differences between single-family and multi-family housing in terms of affordability.