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.
Court Decision Makes it Final: Washington State Owes $2 Billion for Culvert Repairs
When it refused to reconsider a 2016 ruling that mandated the state of Washington to broken culverts around the state, the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals put to rest a legal controversy ongoing since 2001.
Back to the Suburbs: Most Metropolitan Are Getting Less Dense
A closer look at the data reveals a country that continues to sprawl.
The Sky's the Limit for Washington, D.C.-Area High Rises
With a new high-rise under construction and even taller high-rise working its way through planning approvals, the Washington, D.C. area's building envelope is reaching new heights.
NYC's Rental Market Returns to the Single Room Occupancy Model of a Century Ago
A New York Times feature details the re-emergence of the single room occupancy (SRO) unit in the New York rental market. Despite a stigma and an old-fashioned quality, the SRO is becoming a badly needed housing solution.
Colorado Still Short Cash and Ideas to Fix its Roads
Colorado's roads and highways are in poor repair—the state of transportation was even called a 'quiet crisis' ten years ago. The problems persist, as does the state's lack of funding to fix the problem.