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.
Coming Soon: A Transformative Idea for Cleveland's Irishtown Bend
A new design process will take an initial step toward unleashing the unrealized potential of Irishtown Bend—located along the Cuyahoga River in the heart of Cleveland.
St. Louis Debating and Reforming its Development Incentives
The city of St. Louis is in the midst of an intense political debate—with mayoral consequences—on the subject of development incentives, which critics say just help the rich get richer.
Whole Foods to Undergo Unprecedented Downsizing
A symbol of urbanist affluence is getting its first reality check. 2017 has not been kind to brock and mortar retailers.
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Responds to Trump's Travel Ban
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) released a statement on the Trump Administration executive order that enacted a 90-day suspension of visas and other immigration benefits to all nationals of seven Middle Eastern countries.
Boston Neighborhoods Find Controversy Following Residential Zoning Changes
An in-depth look into the political controversies stirred up in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain as a result of a proposed, density-adding zoning plan.