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.
Insurance Industry Reacting as Flooding Moves From Risk to Certainty
Federal legislation and rising sea levels are changing the way homes are insured against flooding. According to this feature article, in fact, flood insurance "is serving as a kind of advance scout into a more difficult future."
D.C. Zoning Code Change Will Further Limit Rear Additions
In a move that will restrict the building envelope of residential properties, the Washington, D.C. Zoning Commission approved limitations to the construction of rear additions.
Lawsuit Closes Popular Hiking Trail to the Hollywood Sign
Closing today: one of the most popular hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills, another case of the antipathy between public access and private property.
Trump's Budget Still a Draft, But Officials Credit it for Demise of BRT Project in Michigan
Local officials have ended any hope of completing a bus rapid transit project in the Lansing, Michigan area, for fear of of the budget cuts for transportation investment projects promised by the Trump Administration.
Boston's Data-Driven Bus System Makeover
MIT's Transit Lab created a ridership model called Origin Destination Transfer (ODX) that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is using to make incremental changes to the region's bus system.