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.
L.A. Made Your House Historic and Never Told You
According to this op-ed, the city of Los Angeles is implementing a sweeping, yet almost completely unpublicized, effort to give historic status to tens-of-thousands of homes and properties across the city, without ever telling anyone about it.
Transit Ducks in a Row for 2017
2017 will be a big year for transit openings around North America. What will come in the years to follow has a lot to do with the Trump Administration.
Better Block Project Celebrates Diversity in Akron
The Exchange House will open in February, offering a hostel and much more for the immigrant communities of Akron's North Hill neighborhood.
Preservationists Organize to Protect 3,000 Acres of Forest Near Seattle
A timber company is nearing the end of its deal to log the Port Gamble Forest, so local preservationists are raising money to protect the forest from development.
Proposed Law Would Require Solar Panels on All New Home Construction in California
So far four cities in California require solar panels on all new residential construction, with San Francisco as the most populous example. A proposed law would expand that requirement to the rest of the state.